What the Hufflepuff
by tav1sh
Summary: My name is Jasmine Ling and I am a Hufflepuff.
1. Well, Not a Squib

This is a story I wrote for myself back in 2012. It is incomplete, but I decided to finish it (it might happen eventually, no promises). I will publish the first couple chapters and then give weekly updates. Hope you enjoy!

I rested my head on my cheek, staring out the window. It was a hot summer day and I was completely and utterly bored. The lawn was more brown than green, and the air was humid and sticky. Despite the unfavorable conditions of the weather, there was a tranquil peace and I submerged myself in it. My eyes slid across the tall oak tree in the back of my house, scrutinizing on the branches. I began a little game I played, though all I did in it was focus my gaze on a branch, making everything around it blurry, and then move on to a different branch, making that sharp and the surroundings unfocused. I blinked, and my concentration was lost.

I twisted my head to see what had disturbed me. The only difference in the usual scenery inside this house was a pile of envelopes and papers at the feet of the front door. The mail had arrived. I jumped off the windowsill I'd been sitting on, my socked feet silent on the hardwood floor. Soon I reached my destination, and I bent over to pick up the papers.

"Daaad! The mail's here!" I called down the hallway as I rifled through them. No reply. He must have been napping. My alternate choice was to give it to Mom, but she was out grocery shopping. I stopped thumbing through them, when I felt a rough and unusual texture beneath my finger. I glanced down, placing the crisp white envelopes that rested on top of this unfamiliar sheet behind it. It was yellowed and old, and it was sealed with a red stamp that had an 'H.' I flipped it over to read the back. It was addressed to me.

Ms. J G Ling

Bedroom on the Right

14 Acorn St.

It wasn't even addressed properly, which increased the oddness of the situation. I dropped the other letters on the kitchen table and opened the flap of the envelope. The first page read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizar_ds)_

Dear Jasmine G Ling,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

My eyes had skimmed the letter quickly, and then they moved back up to the top and re-read it with much more focus.

What?

I blinked, shaking my head. This is… an acceptance letter… to a school. A school I'd never heard of. A school of witchcraft… and wizardry? I didn't know quite how to react.

Impossible. It didn't seem possible. My mouth had parted open, and I pressed my lips together. Is it real? My emotions were mixed, but among them, was an elation I hadn't been surprised to find.

Magic? I've dreamed of magic. But me? How could I be a witch? My parents are ordinary, non-magic people. I wrinkled my nose as I tried to remember any instances of 'magic.'

I never did know what my dad's job was… and there was that one instance where I'd made the leaves dance.

Yes, when I was seven, I think, I'd just been playing about under the oak tree, in the spring, when several leaves removed themselves from young branches and swirled about around me. Had that been a dream? I moved onto the next page, curiosity leading my movements.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic

by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory

by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration

by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions

by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK

Yours sincerely,

Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus

Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions

This letter seemed so real, but yet, it couldn't be… could it? I heard the sound of a door opening, and I turned around, the parchment (I assumed it to be) obvious in my hands. It was Dad, black hair messed up and clothes disheveled.

"G'morning, Jas." He yawned, blinking his eyes several times and slowly moving his head up to make eye contact. All at once his eyes fell on the items in my hand, and he snapped awake, his jaw dropping as he power-walked over to me, pulling the papers from my grasp. His eyes scanned it at lightning speed, and when he finished, a huge, gigantic smile widened his face.

"Uh, good morning?" I was confused.

"Jasmine, you really ARE a witch! I'd thought you were a squib! I didn't- I mea- I di-!" He ran his hand through his hair as he babbled.

I was a witch?

He got ahold of himself and took a deep breath, bending down to be at eye level with me.

"I'm a witch? Wait, are YOU a wizard?"

"I know this must be a lot to take in, but yes, I am a wizard. And you're a witch! Your mother is going to be so happy!" I quieted, thinking over some things.

"Mom's a witch?"

"No, she's a Muggle. I'm a Muggle-born wizard. Muggles are non-magical folk." Dad continued on, looking every bit as excited as I felt.

"You're not joking? Please tell me you're not joking?" I felt my heart start jumping at the thought. Me, a witch?

"Of course I'm not joking! We have a lot to do! We've got to buy your things, take you out of your school, and everything. Oh my god, my daughter is a witch!" Dad was nearly jumping.

"You never told me?" I asked, confused.

"Jasmine, we thought you were a squib! We didn't want you to know that you wouldn't be able to do all this magic even though I could. IT would be like taunting you, and you would hate it." He calmed down a bit to express this thought. I found it fair enough, though… still… I wish I'd known before.

"I just wished I'd known befo-"

"_Accio _cloak!" My dad cried out before I could finish. "Oh wait, my wand is back in the bedroom." He laughed a bit and turned around, his feet thudding loudly as he retrieved a wooden stick, which was carved at points and looked amazingly cool. I stared, anticipating something magical. He waved it and repeated the words he'd chanted before, and all of a sudden a black fabric flew from behind Dad and presented itself to him in his hands. My jaw dropped, again. It had been proved to me. Wands… cloaks… magic? I had a hard time accepting it, even though I want to. Suddenly one of his previous statements found its way back to me. _Take you out of your school…._

"I have to leave Whiterun School?" My dad stopped bustling around and looked at me, realizing what I meant. I'd had great friends there, and teachers I loved…

"Pumpkin," Dad started, using the nickname I'd laughed at many times. "Yes, you will have to leave Whiterun. Julia and Sarah are great kids, but you will be able to see them! You'll still live in this house for the summer, but Hogwarts is a great school!" I stared at him.

"For the summer?"

"Hogwarts is uh… a boarding school! You stay there for the school year. Trust me, you'll enjoy it!" It's not that I didn't believe my dad, but I just couldn't think of the whole change normally. I'd just gotten over the fact that I was, well, a witch! "You'll be able to write to them, Jasmine." That sounded better, and I gave a small smile. Dad also looked pretty funny in his cloak, and he reached to the side of the fireplace to grab a pouch.

"What's in that?" I inquired, gesturing to the pouch. Dad looked up as he reached inside. He pulled out a fist, and opened it slightly.

"Floo powder. We're going to buy your things. Now, repeat after me. Diagon Alley!"

I stared at him and his expectant smile. I couldn't help grin some more. "Diagon Alley!"

"You sound pretty accurate. You have to do exactly as I do, alright? Step aside, please." Dad made his way to the odd fireplace, standing next to the fire after pocketing the Hogwarts papers. "You have to take some of the floo powder, throw it on the ground here, and yell Diagon Alley! You have to say it clearly, or you might end up in the wrong place. Watch." Dad dropped the pouch of powder into my hand, and he grinned at me, throwing his fist open and letting the powder fly. All of a sudden, the fire exploded into green and rose up several feet. I was ready to let out a scream, but it got caught in my throat as Dad stepped into it. "Diagon Alley!" He shouted loudly, and clearly. My hand shot out to stop him, but he disappeared into the flames, and it died down to the previous orange fire. I was left alone. He walked into fire! It still looked hot and painful…

I was utterly terrified. With shaking hands, I reached into the pouch and withdrew a handful of the stuff, dropping the pouch onto the coffee table. I took a deep breath to calm myself and stop my shuddering breaths. I flung the floo powder into the flame, and still couldn't hold my gasp as it roared to life, turning emerald. I coughed, clearing my throat, and stared at the waiting green flames.

What was the place called again? Diagon Alley, right. I felt sweat drip down my face, and I know it wasn't from the heat. Five minutes passed easily, with me staring into the fire and shaking, and then the fire died, losing the green tinge. I thought of how worried Dad might be, when suddenly the fireplace exploded in the green fire again. I let out a tiny shriek.

My Dad stepped out, a concerned look on his face as I stumbled back and fell on my butt. "Pumpkin, we'll go at the same time, alright?" I nodded vigorously, grabbing his hand and clutching at his arm tightly. He took some more floo powder and dropped it into the smoking fire. The expansion into the green wall didn't make me scream, but Dad walked in after yelling, "Diagon Alley!," Since I was being glued to his arm, I went in too. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting to feel the heat and burn, but suddenly I tripped and fell as a weird feeling made my stomach spin, onto an unfamiliar floor.


	2. And That's Harry Potter

I coughed, opening my eyes to find my glasses a few inches from my head. I pulled myself to my feet with the help of my Dad. He looked a little sad.

"I'm sorry, I should've warned you about the feeling and such, being your first time and all." I nodded, looking up at him. I'd just teleported through a fireplace! It had been quite scary, but exhilarating. We were in a clothes shop, as far as I could tell. There was an assortment of different colored cloaks, but my dad pulled me out. "We have to go get money." He told me, winking. I was excited to see everything else. I could not help but stare in awe as we passed people on the cobbled street, all dressed in a variety of cloaks and odd attire. Shops lined the street, one holding a rack of cauldrons in the front, and another looking to be a book store. Dad maneuvered his way through the crowd. I didn't have much to say, as I was too busy gawking.

"You're going to see goblins. They manage Gringotts, the bank here. We use different money. Just as a warning, goblins aren't known for being friendly."

"Yessir!" I saluted, nearly tripping again. Dad chuckled. I couldn't help but begin to feel out of place, in my slacks and button-down shirt, among all the cloaks and pointed hats. Some people stared at me, but I went on. We made it to a white, white building and walked up the stone steps. The doors were bronze, and a there was a creature in gold and red next to it. I didn't want to be rude by staring, so I merely nodded my head as we passed. A real goblin…

He bowed to us and we were faced with another set of doors. They were silver, and words were carved into it. I read it quickly.

_Enter, stranger, but take heed__  
><em>_Of what awaits the sin of greed,__  
><em>_For those who take, but do not earn,__  
><em>_Must pay most dearly in their turn.__  
><em>_So if you seek beneath our floors__  
><em>_A treasure that was never yours,__  
><em>_Thief, you have been warned, beware__  
><em>_Of finding more than treasure there._

Dad glanced at me as the doors opened. I guess the poem was just warning thieves. As I gained my first glimpse of the true inside of Gringotts, my eyes nearly popped out as they began to take in every detail. It was a gigantic hall of marble, and many, many goblins were about. Most sat on a counter, writing with feathers. Dad walked up to one that had several gold coins on a scale of brass. He began to talk to the goblin as I marveled at the place. There were doors lining the wall and people and goblins went through them. There were jewels and gems up on the counters, and I was just amazed.

"I'd like to open up my safe, please." Dad said, picking a medium-sized silver key to the goblin. The goblin took it, not passing up the chance to observe me. I gave an awkward smile at the creature, and he turned it in his hands. After that, he gave it back to Dad, and called for another goblin to take us down to the vault. Its name was Griphook, and he was returning from a door with a very, very large man with a wild beard, along with a young boy around my age. He was skinny with black hair, and wore circular glasses, unlike my rectangular ones. My dad went stiff for a second at the site of them, and fumbled about to make his cloak smoother and his hat neater.

"Dad?" I asked, poking his arm. He ignored me, walking up the boy, and I ran to catch up.

"Is it… Harry Potter?" My dad stopped the pair from going forward and gave an amazed look. The boy nodded awkwardly as I finally got to the side of my dad. Dad gasped and shook the boy's hand vigorously. I observed this "Harry Potter." He was wearing clothes similar to mine, as in, not a cloak or anything. He was about my height, and as I looked at his face, there was a scar half-hidden by his hair. The large man had a gigantic coat, and he towered over me by at least four or five feet. He looked positively green.

"Are you okay?" I asked, craning my neck to look at him. He had a friendly face, despite the unhealthy tinge.

"Ye, yes, 'M fine. Jus' the ride they gotta take ye on te get to the vault." He reassured me, taking breaths.

What.

A ride to get to the vault? I swallowed.

"M' names Hagrid. M' the gamekeeper at Hogwarts. You goin te Hogwarts?" He continued. I nodded. "Same with Harry! We're jus about te buy his things." I looked over to find my Dad still bouncing around the boy.

"Dad, stop it." I tugged at his sleeve. "He needs to go get his supplies." Dad looked at me, and sighed.

"I guess you're right, Jasmine. A real pleasure meeting you, Harry." He finished, following Griphook who had been waiting for a while. Harry shot me a grateful look and we went on our ways. He led us through the same door from which he had come, and I found myself in a stone hallway, torches lighting the way. I felt like I was going into a dungeon, and I probably was. There was a railway track on the floor. Griphook put two fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly. A cart arrived, speeding up the track, stopping when it reached us.

"Climb in, then." Griphook gestured as he settled his small figure inside. I glanced at Dad, and he nodded. I cautiously climbed over the side and sat down, and my dad followed right after. Right then, the cart went flying through a labyrinth of passages, going so fast I couldn't count how many turns we'd made. It felt like a roller coaster, and so I did enjoy myself. Griphook wasn't doing anything, though. The cart was going by itself, and I did feel a little worried about that. However, the dim setting added to my worry, as we went down deeper through the cold stone caves. Growls echoed in the spacious place, and I gripped the cart harder, when we suddenly came to an abrupt stop.

"Here we are." Dad said, and Griphook took the key and unlocked the door. My mouth opened a bit as I saw several piles of gold, silver and bronze. "These gold coins are galleons, worth the most. The silver ones are sickles, and the bronze ones are called knuts. Seventeen sickles to a galleon, and twenty-nine knuts to a sickle." Dad swept a bunch of them into a pouch, and he handed it to me. "This should be enough to get all your supplies, and to last for the year. We're not really rich in the wizarding world, but we're just above the average." Dad mentioned as Griphook closed and locked the door.

"What job do you have?" I asked, wondering what could be earning the money.

"I'm an assistant wandmaker. I help Ollivander, and you'll meet him at the end of this trip." Dad answered as we squeezed ourselves back into the cart, and it zoomed back at amazing speed. I forgot my worries and loved the wind caused by the movement, and it all ended quickly. Griphook led us back out in the big marble room, leaving us to walk out the bank. As we left, I decided I could now question Dad about Harry.

"Dad? Who was that Harry boy?" I inquired. He did a big gasp.

"I keep forgetting you don't know. He is the Boy who Lived." He began as he led me towards a shop at the end of the street. "There was this very evil wizard, He Who Must Not Be Named. To make a long story short, he killed many people, and ten years ago, he went to kill Harry's parents, and he did. Harry was just a year old baby when it happened, and then He Who Must Not Be Named tried to kill Harry. No one knows why, but it didn't work. Casting the curse at Harry somehow broke He Who Must Not Be Named, leaving him weak. Harry survived, which is why he has a scar. No one knows exactly what happened to the wizard, but I think he died."

"Oh." I murmured, suddenly feeling a little sad.

"Cheer up, Pumpkin. Let's buy you some robes." Dad changed the topic and gestured towards a shop. The tall, large man from before was standing outside it, holding two ice creams. He looked out of place, like I did, except he was just giant and I was just in Muggle clothes. I waved, and then Dad pushed me in. It was Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. There was a lady dressed in mauve who was fitting the same boy I had been talking about. He was standing on a stool in a long robe. Next to him was another boy, with blond hair and pale skin. Another witch was working on his robes. They were talking, and I could see Harry look puzzled, and then slightly disgruntled.

"Could you just wait until one of us is done?" The lady in mauve asked while pinning Harry's robe. Harry glanced up at me, his eyes registering that he recognized me. I gave a little smile.

"Yes." I replied, looking around the store, too far off to listen to the other conversation the boys were having.

"Go look around, Jas." Dad nudged me, and so I glanced at many of the robes hanging around. There were cloaks and fabrics of every texture and color, some sequined and the others with lace. I passed a mirror and stopped to glance at myself. Short, messy hair that was actually similar to Harry's, in both color and length. My eyes were brown, my noise rounded and Asian (my dad's from Taiwan) and my face full and also round. Some people have mistaken me for a boy, and I'm no longer surprised by it.

I had gotten close enough to listen to the talk the boys were having, but the lady had deemed the pale boy finished, and he stepped down from his stool and left. I assumed the woman in mauve was Madam Malkin, but the other witch asked me to stand on the stool on which the other boy had, and I did. She pulled a black robe over my head and began to adjust the lengths. I glanced over at Harry , who was almost done.

"Hi." I began. Harry turned his head a bit, looking awkward and slightly unhappy.

"Hi." He replied, and silence soon followed. The only sound was the soft one of pins being pulled through fabric. Dad was looking at other robes in the corner, luckily not having noticed Harry

"So, uh, Hogwarts, right?" I tried to further the conversation, even if I already knew the answer, since Hagrid told me earlier.

"Yea." Harry answered, still looking downcast. I gave up and settled into the awkward atmosphere. Madam Malkin finished his robes and he stepped down and left, passing my Dad and leaving the store. I could see through the window that he took one of the ice creams Hagrid had been holding before, and walked off with him. The lady at my feet finished about ten minutes later, finding a winter cloak that matched the robe's measurements, and I was free to go after Dad paid for me, as well as a pointed hat and some protective gloves. I took out the list of school supplies, and went down the column.

"We go to Flourish and Blotts to get the schoolbooks." Dad said, pointed at the list of books. I nodded, and we found the shop. I gasped when I walked in, having a love for books. There were books of every size and color, and even shape. Shelves went as high as the ceiling, containing magical books. I found one illustrated book, with moving pictures running through all the pages. I found another that had no pages in it. I wandered the aisles as Dad picked up my books and paid for them. As I turned a corner, I bumped into someone, and immediately grabbed at them to stop them from falling.

I ended up grabbing a thin wrist, and it turned out to be Harry, again. "Are you okay?" I asked, pulling up his eleven-year-old frame up. He no longer looked sad, but more intrigued and excited.

"Yea." He was holding the tiniest book I'd ever seen, wrapped in silk.

"Sorry." I added as I backed up a bit. "I'm Jasmine." I introduced myself, even though he knew from my Dad's incessant blabbering from before.

"I'm Harry."

"Dad's getting my books." I went on as we walk down the aisle together.

"I'm just looking at these. They're pretty cool." Harry explained, describing a book he'd seen with nothing in it, and another that had been at least two feet tall. Dad came looking for me, having bought all my books, and saw Harry again. He restrained himself from leaping up, instead greeting Harry and telling me it was time to buy a cauldron and such. Hagrid had been aiming to go there as well to fetch Harry's cauldron, and so we went together to Potage's Cauldron Shop, chatting a bit. Hagrid had a merry talk with my dad, as I did with Harry. I informed him that I hadn't even known I was a witch until earlier today, and the conversation became comfortable enough for me to admit I had traveled by floo powder and had been scared to death by it. When he showed no knowledge of floo powder, I explained it. Harry then talked a bit about school houses.

"Houses?" I asked as he looked at solid gold cauldron.

"Hagrid told me about them. There's Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Every student is sorted into one. I don't know how, but Hagrid says that Slytherin is where all the evil wizards come from, and Hufflepuff is a bunch of 'duffers.'" Harry said. I nodded thoughtfully. "Hagrid, I want this cauldron!"

"Pumpkin, I've got your cauldron." Dad came over, holding a small, pewter cauldron. I smiled.

"Thanks!" I glanced over as Hagrid didn't let Harry get the golden one, saying that the list said 'pewter.'

Next we went to Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, purchasing brass scales, telescopes, and glass phials. There I talked about how I was going to miss my old school, and Harry talked about how he was not. I felt bad, but the mood brightened when we checked out the Apothecary. I was immediately disgusted by the smell, as was Harry, but we were quickly fascinated by the contents of the shop. There were gross barrels of things, but there were also pretty, interesting items like unicorn hair. I didn't need to buy anything, but Hagrid picked up a set of basic potion ingredients for Harry. While he was at the counter, I looked around and sniffed at some herbs. One particular one smelled delightful, reminding me of autumn, but I withdrew when Dad called that we were done here.

Outside, Hagrid stopped and looked at Harry's school list. "Just yer wand left – oh yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present." I watched as Harry's face went tomato, but then I gasped. I wasn't able to say anything more since Hagrid continued speaking, cutting Harry's protests off.

Hagrid was getting Harry an owl! I gasped (doing that too much lately) at the thought of having an elegant owl as my companion.

"You are allowed to get an owl, toad or a cat." Dad reminded me, pointing at my list. "We'll get your wand afterwards." Not sparing time for talk, I rushed to Eeyop's Emporium, Harry following after and we stared at the beautiful birds. Hagrid went to talk to Dad, and I turned to Harry.

"It's your birthday?" I asked, not believing it.

"U-uh, yeah…" He stuttered.

"Happy birthday! Uh, is my godly presence enough for a present?" I asked, gesturing at myself. Harry laughed, but then he took great notice in a beautiful sleeping snowy owl. I left him to his deciding and wandered around, staring closely at the other available owls. I came across a large brown owl, with large white circles around its eyes with a brown, tawny body. It had a very round shape. The brown owl gave a low hoot, and I instantly fell in love. Dad had to pay ten galleons for him. I was looking through the cage and wondering what to name him when Harry walked next to me, clutching the snowy owl's cage, looking extremely happy.

We walked down the very end of the street, to the wand shop called Ollivanders.

Dad stopped me before I walked in after Harry. "It's a tad dangerous when one tests out all the wands." He warned me. "Stay out here until he's done." I nodded, a little confused. Hagrid walked in with Harry, holding a pink umbrella. He'd actually been holding it for quite some time. I sat down on a bench outside of the shop. Dad stood. "I'm going to get some ice cream, alright? I'll give you yours after you get your wand."

"Thanks, Dad." I grinned up at him, guarding my cart filled with all of my things. I had been sitting for about ten minutes when I heard a loud crash, and turned to look inside the dusty window. On display, there was one stick an old purple pillow, but past that, I saw Harry holding a wand that smoked, and an old man taking the wand and replacing it with another. There was a large pile of at least twenty wands on a desk. After he'd continued trying out more wands, my gaze wandered to the items in the shop. There were piles, and piles, and piles of long, narrow boxes that went up to the ceiling, all of which probably contained wands. I slouched a bit, thinking of a wand.

To have a magical wand, to cast spells with it, and everything, would be amazing. Dad returned, holding two ice creams. He was approaching my seat when Harry finally walked out with Hagrid, looking a bit shaken, but fine. Since Dad was holding the ice cream, he handed me the money bag and told me to go in. It smelled musty, and it was a dim, dark room. I swallowed a bit, and walked forward to the desk. The old man, Mr. Ollivander, was putting some of the wands back when I greeted him.

"Hello."

"Ah, hello there…" He said in a soft voice, looking up. He had large, bright eyes, and they seemed like the only light source in the entire shop. "The daughter of Mr. Ling, I presume?" He asked. I confirmed that with a, "Yes."

"What is your wand arm?" He inquired.

"Wand arm? I'm right-handed…" I trailed off, not sure that was the correct answer. He smiled, picking up a tape measure that had been crumpled onto the floor.

"Hold out your arms, miss." He straightened out the measure and I held them out, feeling like a scarecrow. As he measured lengths of my body, he began to talk a bit about wands. "Every Olivander wand has a core of a powerful magic substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand." I nodded along, listening to his talk and absorbing the information. Unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, dragon heartstrings… Wow. I was busy thinking when I realized Mr. Ollivander was no longer managing the tape measure. He had moved over to a small, neat pile of boxes, pulling a few down into arms, and he did the same to other shelves of wands. The tape measure was moving on its own, taking the length between my knee and ankle, and then the width of my head.

Ollivander walked over to me, arms full of wand boxes. He pushed the pile of Harry's used wands to the side, and plopped down this new pile. He gave a nod, and the tape measure fell, crumpling up.

"Try this one, Ms. Ling." He said, unboxing a wand and giving it to me. "Rosewood and phoenix feather. Ten inches, very flexible. Just wave it, yes, please." I took the wand, and waved it a bit, feeling a little awkward. Nothing happened, and I felt a bit down. Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of my hands, somehow managing not to be rude at the same time. In the same second, a new, longer wand was now in my hand. "Oak and dragon heartstring. Thirteen inches, stiff." I took hold of it, but I hadn't even waved it before it was replaced with a slightly shorter wand. "Hawthorn, phoenix feather, ten and half inches. Slightly bendy."

Wands had been taken from my hands quickly, and new wands took their place immediately. I had been through twelve wands when I'd suddenly felt a calming, happy warmth from the wand in my finger. Mr. Ollivander stepped back a bit, and I waved it. A soft, golden trail of light followed it, slowly vanishing as I stopped moving the wand.

"Yes, yes. That is your wand. Rowan wood, unicorn hair, twelve inches, and slightly yielding." I stared in awe at the slender wand in my hands, and then smiled. I paid seven galleons and walked out after thanking Mr. Ollivander. I couldn't help but keep looking at it when I got outside.

Harry and Hagrid were leaving, and I said my good bye to them. They waved as they made their way down the street. Dad stood up and stretched, smiling. He handed me my ice cream, led me to the shop from which we had teleported, and with a burst of green fire, we were back home. There was a month before I had to actually go to Hogwarts, and that had made me sad. Mom had returned home before we did, so I got to tell her that I was a witch. She was elated, and I was, too.


	3. In Which Somehow I Ride a Broomstick

_I spent most of it asking Dad about the school. I learned about the houses, the classes, a village called Hogsmeade, and most curiously, a game called Quidditch. When he told me it involved flying on a broom, I was immediately bewitched. I'd always, always dreamed to fly._

_It used four balls, two of which are the same. The quaffle, was a large, reddish ball that is thrown through hoops. There are three hoops at each end of a field. There are three chasers that all target the quaffle, to try and score. Next are two bludgers, which are iron, jet black balls that throw themselves at people. The two beaters of a team are all armed with bats to knock the bludgers toward the other team and away from their own team. Lastly, there's the snitch, a small, fast-moving golden ball with silver wings. It flies around quickly to avoid capture, and the seeker, another player in a team, is supposed to catch it. The game can only end when the snitch is caught. The last player on a team is the Keeper, who guards their team's hoops._

_Dad had much trouble finishing the lecture because I kept asking about the flying._

_"__I was never one for playing Quidditch, though my mom wanted me. She got me a field to practice, as well as a Nimbus broom. I forget the number, but it's not that bad, even though I've only used it once. Ehh, I think it's a Nimbus 1700."_

_"__A field? A real Quidditch field?" I gaped. Dad laughed._

_"__Let me show you." I followed Dad down to his room, and he walked into the closet. It's not a walk-in closet! Behind a row of regular clothes, there was a very large space in back, and this closet could not possibly fit in the room. From it, he produced a sleek broom and a folded up something. I kept gaping as he stepped back. He led me to my room in the next door of the hallway. _

_In the large, extra space I had, he unfolded the thing and it turned out to be a tent. I looked confused, until he stood back and told me to go inside. I felt silly as I got down on my hands and knees, opened the flap, and nearly fell over. The tent looked to be about four feet long and wide, and as I crawled, I found myself in a space as big as a football stadium, maybe more. The ceiling wasn't even there, there was a sky. A cloudless, blue sky. _

_My jaw must have fallen out seven times, and I was so amazed I couldn't say anything. How did that fit in a tiny tent?_

_Dad crawled in after me with the broom. _

_"__My mum bewitched it herself. The ceiling is quite high, and charmed to look like a sky." He said, looking around. We were on a sandy ground, a large oval area that was surrounded by seats. Three hoops at each end of the oval, each varying height. I was consumed with the sheer awesomeness of this, and Dad placed the broom on my left. "I'll teach you, if you like." Dad said, smiling. I threw myself at him. _

_"__THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUU SO MUCH!" I hugged him to the death._

_"__No problem, __Pumpkin__." Dad laughed, ruffling my short hair. "Now, let me show you. The first thing to do is to hold your hand above your broom, yes, that's it, and say 'Up!'" Dad demonstrated, and the broom wriggled around on the floor. "Just keep doing it until you've got it in your hand." Dad stepped off to the side, and I took his place. I help my hand above the broom._

_"__Up!" The broom was still. "Up!" I cried again. It wriggled and twitched, then went still. I thought about flying again, the excitement of having a broom, the excitement of racing the winds. "Up!" The broom hopped up, almost into my grasp, it was halfway there, and it fell. It fell again. I furrowed my eyebrows, my dad watching me. "Up!"_

I'd been yelling at a broom for at least an hour, and Dad had left to spend some time with Mom. I sat down, frustrated. I really wanted to fly. I really, really wanted to. I rolled around on the sandy ground, and sat up, dusting the sand off of my button-down shirt. I took a deep breath and got to my feet. I was fed up, but I had to be patient

Patience is a virtue, right? I held my hand over the broom, closing my eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "Up." My calm voice surprised me, and a second later, a broom handle found its way into my hand. I nearly screeched in surprise, not expecting it, but I held it in. Instead, I ran my hands along the length of the broom, and, even though Dad wasn't here, I mounted it. Again, I took another deep breath, stilling my body, and grasped the broom firmly. I shut my eyes, counted to three, and opened them. I leaned forward and tilted my broom up. As I leaned forward, I felt the heels of my feet leave the floor, and I was on my toes. They began to drag on the floor as the broom moved forward.

I felt the ground vanish from my feet, and… I was flying… I was flying!

I was flying! I sat still in the air, unable to comprehend and accept that I'd done it.

I did it! My heart thumped wildly as my broom rose a bit higher. With a bit of playing around, I found that leaning forward increased speed, and tilting the broom changed direction. I didn't do any drastic movements, just fluttering mostly in this side of the field.

A random will to take a risk grasped my heart, and I leaned forward as much as possible, and then I was zooming across the field, wind rippling past my face and whistling through my hair. I had never felt so much exhilaration as I soared through the field. At first I'd been unsteady, tilting back and forth. Then, I'd gotten used to it. I felt so free, and I could not quite express the happiness I felt. I spent the rest of that day flying around. I don't think I would ever get tired of it.

I don't know when I stopped, but when I did, I fell asleep right on the sand.

The rest of the summer passed as I withdrew from Whiterun School, practiced flying on a broom, learned Quidditch, and skimmed through some of my books. _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ had a pretty green carving on its cover, and I found about plants with healing properties, mushrooms that danced, and too many to list. I flipped to several pages in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, spotting some several creatures I'd never heard of. Since I could never be too prepared, I read through the first few chapters. Despite them being schoolbooks, I was interested enough to read up to chapter five for most of them. This was all completely new material, and I was surprised to randomly realize that I would never need to learn about advanced math like calculus, and how to conjugate a verb, or even to learn about Muggle wars in the past.

While I was sad we wouldn't be focusing on fine literature and grammar, as I pretty good at it, I was elated at the fact that I would be learning spells and magic.

I grew very close to my brown owl, and had far too much difficulty naming him. I ended up with, "Brune," short for Brunetus.

Dad explained the four houses in greater detail. There was Gryffindor, for the brave and chivalrous. Their colors are red and gold. There's Ravenclaw, for the intelligent and witty. Ravenclaw is blue and bronze. Hufflepuff, for the kind, patient and calm. Black and yellow. Slytherin, for the cunning, ambition, and trickery. Green and silver. He didn't tell me how we were sorted in though.

"Do we take some personality test?" I asked, wrinkling my nose.

"You'll see. I was sorted in Gryffindor, maybe you'll be, too!"

Later on, I remember how Harry told me that Hufflepuff was a bunch of duffers, but I decided that people just underestimate their kindness and such. It happens to most "goody-two-shoes," with people calling them names. Gryffindor sounded quite nice, and Ravenclaw would be okay, but not ideal, since intelligence is not my strong point. While Slytherin has interesting qualities, I don't think I'm cunning enough. Hufflepuff seemed preferable, though. I wasn't sure, and could only wait for September 1st.


	4. And Here is Hermione

eyyyyy heres another chapter B)

* * *

><p>I could barely sleep that night, which is why I woke up with great circles around my eyes. I showered, washing my hair, and dressed up in my new robes. My trunk had been packed (along with the Quidditch tent) the day before, and I kept shooting nervous glances at it as smoothed out my cloak. Dad woke up ten minutes later. It was nine now, and the train left in two hours. Dad was going to drive, since the King's Cross wasn't that far. It had been an hour of me checking and double-checking I had all my things, and about fifteen minutes to drive there. Dad put my one large trunk in the back of the car, and I climbed in the front with him. My palms were a little sweaty, and Dad led me in.<p>

I looked about, puzzled. There was a platform nine, and a platform ten. I looked at Dad to find him grinning, and I found both Brune and myself attracting odd looks. I was wearing my robes already, and had an owl. Dad pulled me between the columns of platform nine and ten.

"You have to run straight at the wall here, to get to Platform 9 ¾ . Trust me, you won't hit the wall." Dad put a hand on my shoulder, and pointed at the very solid-looking wall with his other hand. My hands grew slippery on the handle of the cart that contained my gigantic trunk and owl cage. "It's okay, Pumpkin." He reassured me. I took a deep breath, calming myself, and began to walk quickly towards the wall. I was already in motion- I couldn't stop- I squeezed my eyes closed and waited to feel the impact and-

I never did. I opened one eye, and found myself in a completely different place. IT was still a train station, yes, but there was one train on the tracks, which was scarlet and had the words "Hogwarts Express," on it. I glanced behind me to find an equally solid-looking wall. I stared at my surroundings and didn't notice my dad bumping into my back. I whirled around, and he had this huge smile.

"This brings back memories!" Dad said, pushing me along. "We're pretty early, and most of the compartments are empty. Pick whichever one you like, and I'll put your trunk it. The owls go in the back though, So I'll have to take Brune." He told me. I nodded sadly, and I picked an empty compartment near the front. Dad loaded my trunk in, and I put it into the corner.

"I'll see you later, Brune." I reached in a finger and stroked his head. Brune looked at me, hooting softly. I hugged me dad goodbye, promising to right.

I settled myself down on a seat. Sometime later, I'd been sitting here for the past forty minutes, thinking about the last month of summer, and the train will be leaving in about five minutes. I stared out the window of the compartment door, watching as some people passed by. Many weren't clad in their school robes yet. I also did not spot Harry. I ran my hands over the soft velvet covering of the seats. In this compartment, there were two benches across from each other, and a small table at the foot of the window. I had placed my trunk below the table, since it good fit, and I had just been waiting.

Suddenly I felt a rumble; I think the train is about to depart. The door abruptly opened, and I looked up. A boy with a round face was there, looking nervous and flushed, as well as out of breath.

"C-can I sit here?" He asked.

"Yea, of course." I smiled warmly and he climbed inside, pulling his own trunk with him. I noticed he had a frog in his hands. There was also a girl behind him, with very bushy brown hair. "Hi." I greeted them, and slid over on my seat to make space. The boy sat at my side, and the girl sat across from me.

"Hello there. My name is Hermione Granger, and this is Neville Longbottom." She said, in a voice I can't describe in any way other than 'bossy.' However, voices don't always tell character. Then she looked at me closer, looking a bit confused. "Not to be rude, but, are you, a boy?" She squinted at me as she set her trunk next to mine. Neville turned a bit to look at me. I laughed.

"No, I'm a girl." I said, clearing up the misunderstanding. Neville stammered an apology, since he thought I'd been a boy, and increased the space between us.

"It's okay, a lot of people think that." I reassured him.

"Is anyone in your family magic?" Hermione asked me, finally completely settled in. I nodded at her.

"Yes, my dad is, but he thought I was a squib until a month ago, when I got my letter." I informed her.

"No one in my family's magic. It had been such a surprise when I received my letter, but I was really pleased." Hermione told me, in a fast voice. "Do you know what house you'll be in? I do hope I'll be in Gryffindor, it sounds the best by far." She continued. I shrugged.

"I don't know, I think Hufflepuff sounds nice." I replied. "How about you, Neville?" I inquired.

"I-I don't know." He mumbled. He still held his frog on his lap.

"Maybe we'll be in the same house." I added, trying to continue the talk. We'd conversed for quite a while when I heard something. I turned to look, and a lady was pushing a cart laden with items of all colors. My jaw dropped. The woman opened the door.

"Anything off the cart?" She asked, smiling. I had no idea what anything is. Neville got up, leaving his toad carefully on his seat and the three of us got up to the cart. These are all candies I've never heard of. Hermione merely observed, looking at them, and I decided to buy a cauldron cake.

"Hermione, do you want one?" I asked, holding up the cake. It was a chocolate thing, shaped like a cauldron with a lime green filling on the inside. It was a lot like a cupcake. She looked at me and shook her head. "How about you, Neville?" I turned to him, but he'd already gotten two and was getting other candies. I bought a small bag of the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and returned to my seat, eager to try out these new things. Hermione retired to her seat with a small licorice wand, and Neville set his sweets on the table.

I bit into the cauldron cake, and it was very sweet. The green stuff was a little sour, but it somehow tasted different from every sour candy I've ever had. I enjoyed it greatly, when Neville shrieked.

"Trevor!" He yelled, as I saw the toad leap from his lap and out the door, which we had forgotten to close. The three of us stood up, but Neville bolted away, already opening the other compartments to ask if Trevor had been seen. Hermione rolled her eyes, and we took off to Neville.

"We'll just look in all of the compartments." I said. Hermione pushed past me, though not unkindly, and we caught up to Neville who had just closed a compartment door. However, Hermione took his upper arm and dragged him back. She opened the door, and I peered around to glance inside. I saw a boy with a very red hair holding a wand, Harry, and a whole bunch of candies and wrappers on the seats.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." Hermione said.

"We've already told him we haven't seen it." The boy with red hair replied. For some reason, Hermione's focus changed, to the wand in his hand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then." She sat down, and Neville and I stood awkwardly at the compartment door. Harry glanced up, and gave a tiny smile when he saw me, but he continued to watch the red-haired boy. He held his wand and there was a rat on his lap. He pointed it to the rat, and he looked taken aback. HE coughs.

"Er—all right." The boy cleared his throat. "_Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow._" I hid a snort, because it was such a funny spell, but nothing happened when he waved the wand. I could feel Hermione roll her eyes again.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it?" She went on to say, and introduced herself in a similar manner when she introduced me. I snickered when I see Ron look stunned at Hermione saying how she learnt all the schoolbooks by heart.

"I'm Ron Weasley." The red-haired boy muttered.

"Harry Potter." said Harry. At that, Hermione looked a little surprised.

"Are you really?" She exclaimed, and said how she already knew all about Harry from her books. I glanced around, no longer paying attention to the conversation. Hermione finished by finally remembering that we need to find Trevor. She sat up, and walked off to check more compartments. I gave an apologetic smile to the two, and followed Hermione.

We checked most compartments but we didn't find Trevor. Neville sniffled, and I patted his back. We sat back in our seats, but Hermione left to ask the conductor when we'd be arriving.

I heard a clatter and a screech, and I immediately stood up to see what caused it. Outside the compartment, three boys stormed to the back of the train, after pushing me aside. I made a face, and saw that Hermione returned to Harry's compartment.

"What has been going on?" I heard her say. I caught up in time to hear, "-Malfoy before?" and I waited for Neville. Hermione stood there as the two boys talked.

"You'd better hurry up and put your robes on, I've just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we're nearly there. You haven't been fighting, have you? You'll be in trouble before we even get there!" She scolded. Neville and I are also already dressed, though I wore pants and not a skirt.

"Scabbers has been fighting, not us," Ron retorted, scowling. "Would you mind leaving while we change?"

"All right – I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors. And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?" Hermione pointed to a spot on her face, mirroring the dirt on Ron's face. Then she turned around and leaves. "Come on, then."

I gave an awkward smile to Ron and Harry, as well as an apologetic bowing of my head. Hermione had been quite bossy, but she's alright.


	5. Woah There

"Ling, Jasmine!" I sucked in a breath, and slowly walked up, controlling my steps. I picked up the hat gently, and placed it carefully on my head. It slid down, making my glasses slide down as well. All I could see was the inside of the hat, which was dark and frayed. I took a deep breath, fiddling with my hands. There was a small, ragged voice that spoke into my ears.

"Hmm, let's see here." It said, and I swallowed, but breathed deeply. "A tad… difficult." The hat whisperd. "You have much courage, and a decent brain. Not much care for what others think… where should I place you?" The voice drawled. The sweat that had stopped before began again. "You have a lot of kindness, don't you? Patience, loyalty. Fair…" The hat nearly purred and I gripped the sides of the stool hard. The hat sat there, humming to itself. Then, abruptly, it yelled: "HUFFLEPUFF!"

I exhaled, breathing hard, and I took the hat off, giving it a weak smile before I placed it down onto the stool. I glanced sadly at Hermione. The Hufflepuff table cheered loudly as I made my way to it, and I sat next to another first year, Justin Finch-Fletchley. I nodded to acknowledge him, and turned back to watch Neville get Sorted.

Neville got Sorted into Gryffindor, too, even though he almost took the hat with him. My heart dropped. I'd wanted a friend I knew with me.

Malfoy was Sorted into Slytherin.

"Potter, Harry!" I jerked, looking up as he left Ron's side. A long moment took place, and Harry was muttering something, but I couldn't tell what it was. "GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled, and Harry walked shakily to the table, but looked really relieved. He got the loudest cheers, and two specific Gryffindors, twins, began to brag about it. I glanced down, staring at my bitten nails. Finally, Ron was called, and I watched his face turn green in contrast to his red hair.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

My mood was effectively dropped, and I didn't know anyone at this table. No one else was sorted into Hufflepuff, and Professor McGonagall put away the scroll. A man at the middle of the teacher table stood up. I assumed him to be the headmaster. He had a long white beard, and equally length hair. The headmaster wore robes of blue.

He smiled a nearly blinding smile, stretching the wrinkles on his face. I couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts!" The man greeted, looking quite animates. "Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" He called loudly, and then finally, he said, "Thank you!" I scrunched up my nose in confusion as the higher years clapped loudly. He seemed quite odd, but I couldn't make myself not like the man.

"Dumbledore always makes those kinds of speeches." Someone noted, and it seemed to be directed toward me. I looked up to find a boy several students down the table, but he had eye contact with me. He appeared to be a third year, maybe fourth. A pretty attractive one, too. The dude probably just saw my perplexed face.

"Oh." I replied. The headmaster's name was Dumbledore. I should remember that…

"Cedric Diggory." He added. I nodded in response, and then all of a sudden the empty silverware was full of food. I blinked in surprise, staring at the inside of my still empty goblet and then at the overflowing buffet. I looked up again, and Cedric was taking bites of potato. The platters had chickens and turkeys, as well as every other meat I could think of. Herbs lined the edges of some plates, making them look fancier. As my gaze trailed down the table, I could see baskets of apples and other fruits and vegetables. I did not wait to put several drumsticks on my plate, and add baked potatoes to the meal. A jug had a weird, dark orange juice I'd never seen before.

"That's pumpkin juice." A kind voice interrupted me. I glanced up to see Susan Bones pouring the juice of the jug into her goblet. "Do you want some?" In a quick moment, I decided yes. Susan filled my goblet about three fourths of the way, and set the jug down. I took a sip, and was surprised at the taste, which was not unlike the filling of pumpkin pie. It was refreshing, as well. I immediately loved it, and drank another mouthful before I began to actually eat.

I had been quiet at first, wanting to eat first. Once I had satiated my stomach, I took a better look at the people surrounding me. There were six other first years in my House. Justin Finch-Fletchley, Susan Bones, Hannah Abott, Zacharias Smith, Megan Jones, and Ernie Macmillian. Susan and Hannah talked together, and Zacharias spoke with Ernie. Justin was nearly finished eating, so I idled about a bit until he seemed finished.

"So, Justin, right?" I turned to him. Justin was about to reply when the round, large ghost from earlier came in through the floor.

"Hello, Welcome to Hufflepuff!" He said cheerfully, and then rose up a bit so he floated above the table.

"Thanks." I said in response, and the other first years nodded, others chiming in their thanks, when I was distracted by the remains of the food vanishing. A moment later, desserts then filled the plates. Perfectly cubed blocks ice cream sat one platter in front of me, pies were on the next place, and donuts and tarts followed them. Every sweet had formed and was open to me, but I was almost too full to have anything. I settled with take a small cube of vanilla ice cream, too tired to partake in the conversation my fellow classmates had started. Ten minutes later, the desserts vanished, leaving no trace, and everyone turned to Professor Dumbledore.

"Ahem – just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you." I sat up a little more, deciding that these would be good to know. "First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." There was a pause as he found the people to whom the phrase was directed. Someone at the Gryffindor table.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors." I didn't think I would be skilled enough for that, anyway.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term." I perked up. Quidditch had become one of my more favorable hobbies. "Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch." He gestured to a witch farther down the table with short, spiky hair and greenish eyes. I was suddenly filled with an overwhelming desire to go up to her now. "And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." I laughed at first, but then realized he could be serious. I quieted down, and he continued.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" He cried out, and then his wand suddenly spewed forth a long gold ribbon which moved about to form words. "Everyone pick their favorite tune. And off we go!" I didn't even start singing, too perplexed by what he just said. The students had already begun to sing. I joined in about a fourth of the way through, though it was hard to tell because everyone sang at different tune, at different speeds.

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts,  
>Teach us something please,<br>Whether we be old and bald,  
>Or young with scabby knees,<br>Our heads could do with filling,  
>With some interesting stuff,<br>For now they're bare and full of air,  
>Dead flies and bits of fluff,<br>So teach us things worth knowing,  
>Bring back what we've forgot,<br>Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
>And learn until our brains all rot."<p>

I didn't even know what I'd just sung, but I finished long before everyone did, and when most of the others stopped, there were still two voices drawling out the lyrics slowly, to the tune of a funeral march. I looked to see two red-headed boys still singing. They were twins, I could see, and they also seemed to be related to Ron, seeing the likeness of their hair color. Dumbledore moved his wand about, conducting them until they finished. I clapped loudly.

"Ah, music." Dumbledore spoke, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!" I chuckled. "And now, bedtime. Off you trot!" He dismissed us, and all the students stood up. I followed, though a bit late.

"Hufflepuffs here! Hufflepuffs!" I heard someone yell over the conversation and clattering. I pushed through the crowd, and found a young man standing, with a badge on his chest. It had a 'P,' on it. After the entire Hufflepuff house had gathered around him, he took off down a hallway. As we walked, he began a long talk about Hufflepuff. He seemed friendly, and I found myself listening with interest.

"Congratulations! I'm Prefect Gabriel Truman, and I'm delighted to welcome you to HUFFLEPUFF HOUSE. Our emblem is the badger, an animal that is often underestimated, because it lives quietly until attacked, but which, when provoked, can fight off animals much larger than itself, including wolves. Our house colours are yellow and black, and our common room lies one floor below the ground, on the same corridor as the kitchens." Gabriel started. We entered a room, which was almost composed entirely of staircases. I stared, looking up. The room stretched quite high, and the walls were covered with portraits.

Some paintings moved. I noticed that the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Houses had gone up the staircases to a much higher floor, whereas Slytherin and Hufflepuff went down a few stairs. I was too tired to watch the paintings wave at us, but I was sure I would be studying them tomorrow. We ended up one floor below ground level.

"Now, there are a few things you should know about Hufflepuff house. First of all, let's deal with a perennial myth about the place, which is that we're the least clever house. WRONG. Hufflepuff is certainly the least boastful house, but we've produced just as many brilliant witches and wizards as any other. Want proof? Look up Grogan Stump, one of the most popular Ministers for Magic of all time. He was a Hufflepuff – as were the successful Ministers Artemesia Lufkin and Dugald McPhail.

"Then there's the world authority on magical creatures, Newt Scamander; Bridget Wenlock, the famous thirteenth-century Arithmancer who first discovered the magical properties of the number seven, and Hengist of Woodcroft, who founded the all-wizarding village of Hogsmeade, which lies very near Hogwarts School. Hufflepuffs all." Gabriel went on to talk about many successful Hufflepuff wizards and witches. I only paid half my attention to him, staring around at the walls. We passed what I assumed to be the kitchens, and I caught a glance of many small creatures that were slightly similar to the goblins I'd seen at Gringotts.

"So, as you can see, we've produced more than our fair share of powerful, brilliant and daring witches and wizards, but, just because we don't shout about it, we don't get the credit we deserve. Ravenclaws, in particular, assume that any outstanding achiever must have come from their house. I got into big trouble during my third year for duelling a Ravenclaw prefect who insisted that Bridget Wenlock had come from his house, not mine. I should have got a week of detentions, but Professor Sprout let me off with a warning and a box of coconut ice.

"Hufflepuffs are trustworthy and loyal. We don't shoot our mouths off, but cross us at your peril; like our emblem, the badger, we will protect ourselves, our friends and our families against all-comers. Nobody intimidates us." Gabriel continued. I agreed with that, but was still kind of tired as I stumbled along with the crowd.

I glanced up to my right when I bumped into somebody. It was Cedric, and I felt myself turn a little red. I put my attention back on Gabriel. I wondered how much longer it would be before we made it to the dormitory.

"What else do you need to know? Oh yes, the entrance to the common room is concealed in a stack of large barrels in a nook on the right hand side of the kitchen corridor. Tap the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff', and the lid will swing open. We are the only house at Hogwarts that also has a repelling device for would-be intruders. If the wrong lid is tapped, or if the rhythm of the tapping is wrong, the illegal entrant is doused in vinegar.

"You will hear other houses boast of their security arrangements, but it so happens that in more than a thousand years, the Hufflepuff common room and dormitories have never been seen by outsiders. Like badgers, we know exactly how to lie low – and how to defend ourselves.

"Once you've opened the barrel, crawl inside and along the passageway behind it, and you will emerge into the cosiest common room of them all. It is round and earthy and low-ceilinged; it always feels sunny, and its circular windows have a view of rippling grass and dandelions." Gabriel pointed to a pile of horizontal barrels, near the kitchens. "Let me demonstrate." The prefect pulled out his wand, and tapped the barrel five times in a specific beat I memorized. The lid of large barrel fell off, and revealed a tunnel about five feet high and wide.

"We have to crawl through?" Someone asked in disbelief. Gabriel nodded, but the tunnel seemed big enough to walk through if you ducked your head, so I didn't really mind. We went through the tunnel a bit, and Gabriel resumed his talk about Hufflepuff when we reached a room. I was closer to the front, and we Hufflepuffs spilled out into the room. Gabriel ushered us all in. Gabriel was already describing the room perfectly before I could register the details of the room.

"There is a lot of burnished copper about the place, and many plants, which either hang from the ceiling or sit on the windowsills. Our Head of house, Professor Pomona Sprout, is Head of Herbology, and she brings the most interesting specimens (some of which dance and talk) to decorate our room – one reason why Hufflepuffs are often very good at Herbology." I glanced at a large bloom at the side of the entrance to the room. It swayed playfully, though there was no wind.

"Our overstuffed sofas and chairs are upholstered in yellow and black, and our dormitories are reached through round doors in the walls of the common room. Copper lamps cast a warm light over our four-posters, all of which are covered in patchwork quilts, and copper bed warmers hang on the walls, should you have cold feet." The Hufflepuff student sounded proud, and I instantly fell in love with this room. Although I would love to have a tower dormitory, this was equally amazing. I felt just like a badger, what with all the tunnels and such. This common room looked as cozy as anything could possibly be, and I felt like I wanted nothing more than to sink into one of the plush chairs and sleep.

The older students moved through two perfectly circular doors, the girls in one and the boys in the other. We first years stayed as Gabriel needed to finish.

"Our house ghost is the friendliest of them all: the Fat Friar. You'll recognise him easily enough; he's plump and wears monk's robes, and he's very helpful if you get lost or are in any kind of trouble.

"I think that's nearly everything. I must say, I hope some of you are good Quidditch players. Hufflepuff hasn't done as well as I'd like in the Quidditch tournament lately." I was awake enough to hear that, and decided to mention this to the prefect when he finished. "You should sleep comfortably. We're protected from storms and wind down in our dormitories; we never have the disturbed nights those in the towers sometimes experience. And once again: congratulations on becoming a member of the friendliest, most decent and most tenacious house of them all." Gabriel clapped his hands to finish, and our small crowd of seven split and the two other girls left through one door, and the four boys went through the other. Gabriel had been waiting for all of us to leave, and he turned his gaze on me.

"I'll have to talk to Madam Hooch to talk about the Quidditch tryouts, right?" I asked politely. Gabriel suddenly smiled.

"Yes, yes. Are you good at it?" He seemed a bit more enthusiastic.

"I should think so, even though I've only been practicing for a month. My Dad showed me the basic things to do, and he also lent me several books on them." I replied, rubbing an eye.

"I do have to let you know though, that first years rarely make the team. You can tell Madam Hooch tomorrow, in the afternoon." Gabriel informed me. I nodded. "Tryouts will be next week, alright?" Gabriel made off to go to the boys' dormitory.

"Okay, thank you." I grabbed the knob of the other door. "Good night."

"Good night!" Gabriel waved and left. I went down the tunnel behind the door, and found seven wooden doors down the side of the tunnel. The knobs were of tightly braided vines. I went to the closest one, which had 'first years,' carved in it. Opening the door, I found that there was a large room equipped with four beds and four small desks. The four chairs that matched the desks had a black and yellow striped scarf, tie and two Hufflepuff badges on it. Below those were a pile of two changes of the actual uniform to wear underneath the school robes. I found a button down shirt much like my normal attire, and even found the black pants I preferred instead of the skirt the other girls received. There was also a grey sweater vest lined with black and yellow. Susan and Hannah had already occupied two beds, the two on the left. I picked the one on the right, being the only one left.

My trunk was at the foot of the bed already, and the three girls were already unpacking some of their things. I opened up the old, dark green and brown trunk, and placed the books on my new desk, as well as my quills and ink. I had been thrilled to see that I would be writing with a feather; I'd never written with anything other than a pen. I found a sheet of paper on the desk, which consisted of my schedule. The few things left in my trunk were my extra changes of clothes and my pouch of money. Everything else was left on my desk: my school supplies, my sketchbook, my alarm clock, and some Muggle pencils and sharpeners. I set my winter cloak, folded on the desk as well.

I pulled off my school robes, leaving my normal every day wear underneath it. I picked up one Hufflepuff badge, which then flew from my hand and sewed itself onto my robes by itself. I watched, transfixed, as the inside color of my robe began honey yellow. The other badge settled onto the winter cloak on my desk, sewing itself to the fabric. Even this tiny little moment of magic made it clearer to me: I was a witch. Hannah and Susan had put themselves in their beds, chatting quietly. Their lamps were switched off, and they'd changed already into their nightwear. I, however realized just how tired I was, and merely removed my shoes and stuffed myself into my bed.

The sheer comfort the bed provided me had astounded me. There were three pillows, which was two too many, but they were overstuffed and immensely comfortable. The sheet was thin and light, and it felt silky. Lastly was the comforter, which was thick and fluffy. Inside the bed, I stared at the ceiling. It was brown, and looked like dirt, but I could tell it wasn't. The windows provided a view of the grass, and there was a dark, honey yellow carpet lined in black that covered the floor. This room was almost domed, and it was, like we were badgers ourselves, living in dens connected by tunnels.

I realized that Susan and Hannah were still murmuring at a low volume.

"Hey, do you mind if I set my alarm for seven?" I asked, loud enough to be heard. Susan sat up; her reddish brown hair slightly messed up.

"I already had mine set for that time. Enough time to get ready, eat and finish any extra schoolwork." She replied, also sounding a bit tired. "We can just use my alarm clock for the three of us; Hannah and I already agreed on that." She informed me.

"Okay, thank you." I said, sliding down deeper into my bed. "Goodnight." I mumbled, and they returned to their chatter.

I lay awake for long time, staring at the ceiling. I turned my head to see the slight view of stars out the window, and finally, I fell into a deep, restful sleep.


	6. In Which I Anger the Snape

hello everybody

previouslyjade - yes your criticism is totally right i was rly inconsistent with the tenses there lol. also i took a lot of the hufflepuff common room description from the wiki

also as a notice i am looking through what i wrote and since it is pretty old i am probably going to be revising/rewriting some of these parts because they are pretty unrealistic (like first-year jasmine being a sudden quidditch expert and acing the classes and then hufflepuff winning the game because of it and then also being probably way more mature than she should be especially as an 11 year old)

i wrote this whole thing when i was 14/15 and so i dont think i really portrayed an 11 year old well so i will see what i end up doing (also i feel like a slytherin now so idk)

i also wrote her in such a way that making legitimate conflicts would be difficult as she is was i picture to be a "flawless" person and she has no faults and etc. (its what happens when i make a self-insert ok)

we shall see

and a heads up that if you see any mention of a character named Meg Forester, she is a character from this fic: s/6907165/1/My-Name-Is-Meg which is my favorite harry potter fanficton. i wanted to write about an oc in harry potter world because it was so well done in that fic that i was inspired to write about what my own life would be like

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><p>I had been flying on a broom through a field of portraits with people that moved, and staircases that rotated when a sharp ringing made my eyes fly open. Light streamed in through circular windows at the top of the room, and this dorm in daylight seemed even cozier than it had been yesterday. I blinked sleepily, basking in the warm bed before pushing back the honey colored covers and the black sheets. Hannah and Susan were getting out of bed and changing into the proper uniform when I stood up. I stretched out my arms, and found a second door in this room.<p>

"That's the washroom." Hannah mentioned. "We've decided that Susan and I can wash up at night, and you can in the morning." I nodded thanks, picked up one set of the uniform and went inside the bathroom. There I found a toilet, a sink, and a tub all in white. Apparently, the bathrooms weren't mainly colored with the House colors. The floor was tiled yellow and black, though. I washed up quickly, bathing away any dirt I might have acquired over the past day. I dried and dressed in my new clothes, and then grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste from my trunk.

When I'd finished washing up and getting ready, Susan and Hannah had already left, and that was fine with me. I picked up my schedule, and a bag I'd brought along. I dropped in the needed books and materials for today, hitched it up on my shoulder, and found my way to the Great Hall with the help of the Fat Friar. The room was fairly empty, though about five to ten people were sitting at each table. The teachers were mostly absent, except for Professor Sprout, who was finishing up her breakfast. The platters were all full though. I sat down at the end of the Hufflepuff table. About six other Hufflepuffs were sitting here, most of which were older than me. I found Cedric Diggory's head and felt slightly happier. Gabriel Truman was beside him, despite the two year difference. Susan and Hannah were conversing together, eating fried eggs and sausage about halfway down the table.

I set my bag of books next to me on the bench, and set two eggs on my plate, throwing on three strips of bacon and an orange. While I ate, I kept checking my schedule. Today, I had a double period of Herbology first. After that, I had a regular period of Transfiguration. Lunch came after, and then I had Defense Against the Dark Arts. Next was Double Potions. Right after that was flying lessons, and the afternoon was free for homework and whatever else I felt like doing.

I stopped by the Library, after the Fat Friar pointed me where to go, again, after I finished eating, where I asked for a map of the school. Madam Pince seemed nice, though quite protective of her books. She handed me a paper, on which I discovered there were seven floors, ground floor, towers and dungeons. I kept it with me, looking at it as often as my schedule. Eventually, after I visited Brune in the Owlery, it was 8:45 AM and Herbology started in fifteen minutes.

I made my way to the greenhouses, waiting outside. A few others had arrived, and five minutes later, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were walking across the vast grassy lawn of Hogwarts towards me. I heaved a sigh of relief and met them in front of the greenhouses.

"Good morning." I said. Hermione nodded back. Harry and Ron seemed slightly tired, but not much else was to be said because Professor Sprout arrived with the rest of the other students. Professor Sprout was a little short, and she had dirt-caked finger nails. Her robes always seemed to have some dirt or plant life on them at all times. Her smile was very friendly though, so I liked her.

"We're going to go in Greenhouse 1, chaps, but I'll only be showing you the basic plants, using our book." The professor announced, leading us into the glass-walled room. Lining the sides of the room were several tables, making a rectangle. Inside the rectangle was another much longer table, like an island, right in the middle of the greenhouse. Professor Sprout introduced us to some of the plants I'd found in the book over the summer, and to others I hadn't. There was the dancing flower in the common room, and there were the fungi that made your hair grow if you ate it. I was intrigued, and instead of doodling like I would in my previous school, I underlined key points in my book. Since the book wasn't school property, and it was mine, I figured it would be okay to treat like a notebook. None of the teachers showed much interest in that, so I decided I was safe.

Transfiguration was fascinating. We did not turn our chairs into golden thrones. We mainly focused on the way we wave our wand, and the spell to enunciate. Before we had gotten to the learning, though, Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher, gave us a small lecture.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts. Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned." Professor McGonagall's eyes were slightly squinted, and she looked very strict. She then proceeded to transfigure the desk into a pink pig. I gasped, as much of the rest of the class. The pig then turned back into a wooden desk. After we knew the proper way to wave the wand, and had taken many notes, Professor McGongall passed out matches. We were supposed to turn it into a needle.

Everyone was obviously frustrated. I glanced up at Hermione, wondering if she'd done well. I saw something silver and thin on her desk, and smiled. Hermione and her brains.

McGongall was pleased with her, but no one else had changed their match at all yet. I focused, gazing calmly at the match. Things usually worked for me when I was calm. I'd come to realize that after the whole Quidditch thing. My heart jumped when I saw the match thin and become pointy, but nothing else happened. I smiled a bit. McGonagall walked around to check on the matches, giving me a small smile when she noticed the change in mine. Several people looked at me enviously, but were far more jealous of Hermione.

After the lesson ended, McGongall left us to read a bit more of the school book for homework, I went with Harry, Hermione and Ron to lunch, though I didn't sit with them. I wasn't quite sure if it was allowed. The meal was just as splendid was it had been yesterday, to my great delight. Every student was here, as lunch was at the same time for everyone. I retained a light friendship with my other Hufflepuff first years, as they were indeed kind and friendly, though I preferred the company of the Gryffindors, most of whom I befriended before we'd ever got to the school. However, I became better friends with Justin Finch-Fletchely, Hannah and Susan more than the others. I discovered that Ernie was happy to gossip about others, and that I wasn't sure what, but there just something about Zacharias that made me dislike him. I still was polite, though. The other girl, Megan, turned out to have a twin that was sorted into Gryffindor. She was fairly nice, as well.

Lunch ended, and I got up with my bag of books. I used the map, but still got a little lost.

I wandered the hall, taking the direction I thought matched the map, when I bumped into someone. I looked up, finding the two twins I'd seen yesterday. They'd sung the Hogwarts song in the slow, funeral march tune. They had flaming red hair, which did indeed match their brother. I could see now at this close range. The two had these mischievous smiles on them.

"Sorry, uh, Ron's brothers?" I apologized and then asked. They laughed.

"That dude?"

"Related to us?"

"Hah!" I watched, looking back and forth from the two as they talked for each other.

"I'm Fred."

"I'm George." The two proceeded to point at each other, and I was very confused as to who was who.

"We're only joking; we really are Ron's brothers." The one on the right said. I looked at a cloak that was on the wall, and I nearly jumped.

"Sorry, I got to get to class. It was nice meeting you!" I pushed past the two and ran down the hall. I found Neville turning a corner, and showed him my map, and he gratefully followed me to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with a minute to spare. We took an empty desk together, and Professor Quirrell began a tiny lecture. Whil I had been excited, I was immediately disappointed. Quirrell was a stuttering, shy mess. The classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which I didn't mind that much, but he seemed to be bluffing about his achievements.

I felt bad for the teacher, but his class was dreadfully easy. It was mostly reading about dark creatures, and he would bring a few in. The ones he showed to us were awfully non-dangerous, and they were all kept in glass tanks or thickly barred cages. He mentioned his turban, and he said an African prince had given it to him in thanks. Apparently he'd gotten rid of zombie for the prince, but when a Gryffindor asked about it, he blushed and began to talk about something else. When class ended, I said my goodbyes to my Gryffindor friends.

Eventually I had my first Potions class. IT took place in the dungeons, where it was immensely cold, but my cloak was very good at keeping me warm.

I found a seat next to a Ravenclaw called Terry Boot, and I nodded a hello. The dark dungeon had several desks, and a shelf and table filled with jars of somethings. Probably potion ingredients.

A tall person walked into the dungeon, and all the students fell silent at once. I guessed he was the teacher. He wore all black and had equally dark hair, which fell past his ears in a thick, greasy sheet. The man had a hooked nose and strict wrinkles lining his face. He picked up a sheet of paper, in a very controlled, calm, but still scary voice, he did roll call. Terry was among the first, and I was called somewhere in the middle. I gulped, knowing this was not a man to be crossed. I raised my hand and said, "Here," at the same time.

It was then he came to Harry Potter's name.

"Ah, yes. Harry Potter. Our new – celebrity." I heard several students snort behind their hands, and I glanced at the Gryffindor. He looked almost indignant, maybe. When the Potions professor finished, he dropped the paper on the desk.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. His voice was ultimately low, but it made everyone pay him all of their attention. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…" The man paused, and I stopped to admire the way he had described potions. He must really have a passion for it, if he could speak of them with such words.

"I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." My admiration was significantly lowered. I drew my eyebrows together, glancing at Terry who seemed to want to prove he wasn't a dunderhead. Most of the Ravenclaws had the same face. Hermione mirrored their expressions.

I looked around to see how everyone else took that, when the hook-nosed man growled. "Potter! What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" I made a face of obvious incredulity. I did remember reading a few lines about asphodel and wormwood, but it was like I had memorized the entire Herbology textbook. Unsurprisingly, though, Hermione was waving her hand in the air. She was probably smarter than any Ravenclaw in the school.

"I don't know, sir." Harry muttered. Professor Snape sneered, and I was surprised at how childish this teacher acted, compared to say, Professor McGonagall. The way he bullied, scowled and smirked maliciously at students spoke loudly that he was childish, but the way he spoke, in his low, sinister tone said otherwise.

"Tut, tut – fame clearly isn't everything." I heard several muffled laughs from around the classroom. "Let's try again, Potter. Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?" Bezoar… bezoar. It was something that cured poisons? I wasn't sure. Hermione still was eagerly waiting to say the answer, her hand nearly twitching in the air.

"I don't know, sir." Snape's victim repeated. I felt a little bad for him.

"Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?" The professor stared straight at Harry, and it almost looked as if they were having a staring contest. I sniggered at the thought. Hermione's hand was still in the air, but Snape disregarded it completely. "What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?" I didn't remember anything about monkshood, but I barely recalled reading one sentence about wolfsbane. I didn't know anything about the thing. The female Gryffindor was now standing up, looking desperate.

"I don't know. I think Hermione does, though, why don't you try her?" I nearly choked as I saw Snape's expression and tried not to snort. Several people laughed, but Snape looked like death. If death, doom, and destruction had a face, it would be the one Professor Snape was wearing right now.

"Sit down!" He began. HermionE slowly sunk down into her chair, looking embarrassed. I directed a comforting look in her direction, though she didn't see it. "For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you for most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" Snape looked pointedly at the class. All of us were suddenly scrambling to find paper.

I fished for a piece of parchment from my bag and scribbled down what I could remember.

Asphodel + wormwood = Draught of Living Death (powerful sleep potion)

Bezoar- stone from stomach of goat, cure to most poisons

Monkshood (other names = wolfsbane and aconite)

"And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter." Snape added, then told us the page to go to.

There was a moment of silence before Professor Snape set us in partners to create a potion to cure boils. I flipped open the book to the recipe.

1. Add 6 snake fangs to mortar.

2. Crush into a fine powder using the pestle.

3. Add 4 measures of crushed fangs to your cauldron.

4. Heat the mixture to 250 for 10 seconds.

5. Wave your wand.

6. Leave to brew and return in 45 minutes.

7. Add 4 horned slugs to your cauldron.

8. Take the cauldron off the fire before adding the next ingredient.

9. Add 2 porcupine quills to your cauldron.

10. Stir 5 times, clockwise.

11. Wave your wand to complete the potion.

It looked simple enough. I was good at school for following directions was an easy feat for me. I set my cauldron on the desk, as did Terry, and I fetched twelve snake fangs, eight horned slugs, and four porcupine quills for both of us. Terry thanked me and we then began on the potion. However, even though I was sure I was doing it correctly, Professor Snape corrected me on the amount of crushed snake fangs I was going to add. In fact he seemed to be criticizing every single student in the classroom. I brushed it off, and turned the flame on and watched the thermometer-like device that told the heat degree. It rose to 250, and at that heat, I counted to ten, and pulled out my wand and waved it over the cauldron.

However, the next step was to leave brew and return in 45 minutes. Terry had already started that step five minutes ago, and the two of us began to read through _Magical Drafts and Potions_, an activity for spending time that would be looked at as responsible to a teacher. The timer on the table beeped loudly for Terry, and he shut his book and dropped in half of the horned slugs we had and into his cauldron. After five minutes, I copied that and removed the cauldron from the flame and turned it off. I put two quills inside the cauldron and stirred it five times clockwise. I held my breath and waved it, completing the potion.

It simmered softly, and Snape came to inspect our work. Though I could detect nothing wrong with Terry's, the professor deemed it to be several shades darker than it should be, and said mine was emitting a vapor that it shouldn't have been. Nevertheless, it had turned out far better than the other Hufflepuffs. One Ravenclaw, I think her name was Meg, though, had done horribly. Despite all the near-perfect potions the other Ravenclaws brewed, hers was smoking and was bright purple. I chuckled a bit, and saw Hannah with a potion that was melting her cauldron, and Justin's had turned pitch black and belched bubbles.

At one point in the lesson, Neville's cauldron gave off green fumes, and he had made the pewter melt. The potion trickled across the floor. I was one of the unlucky ones, and the toe of my black shoe became even blacker, and it smoked. Fortunately, my toes and sock were safe. Terry grabbed at my arm, pulling me up onto my stool. I tried to keep balance, the floor looking very menacing. In fact, every student was off the floor and standing on their desks and chairs.

"Thanks." I breathed, smiling weakly at Terry. However, my face fell when I saw Neville. Red bumps popped up all over him, and his robes were soaked in his acidic potion. Snape waved his wand, and all remnants of the disaster were wiped away.

"Idiot boy! I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?" He growled. Neville squeaked, whimpering.

"He's not an idiot." I muttered, feeling daggers come out of my eyes. They were pointed towards Snape. The professor may or may not have heard me, as he commanded Seamus to bring Neville to the Hospital wing. After he shot me a venomous look, which nearly made me fall over, he then turned to Harry. Professor Snape radiated poison as he snarled at Harry.

"You – Potter – why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor." The professor spat.

Wow, that was horribly unfair. I found the Hufflepuff in me rising my hand in protest.

"Professor." I said, feeling my heart pound. Snape was a scary teacher, and I couldn't believe I was speaking against him.

Oh man.

Oh _man._

"What?" He shot at me, turning his head.

"I find your deduction of points to be unfair." I continued. Ron and Harry stared at me, and I felt myself sweat.

"I find you out of place to be saying that." He replied, his voice overly low and frightening. The entire class turned their heads to me.

"It was as if you were expecting Harry to be watching Neville's every move." I continued. "That means you were expecting him not to be paying attention to his own potion. Harry can't be staring at someone else make a potion when he has got his own to be making. It is only to be expected that Harry didn't see Neville, because he was focusing on making the boil cure."


	7. Quidditching it Up There

just a note that revisions are underway and the previous chapters will be updated once i finish revising those parts

previouslyjade - i sort of combined book and movie canon throughout this so the classes are a mix of all also if you could turn PM on it would be easier to talk with you! :)

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><p>I left Potions after having five points lost from Hufflepuff, and I slumped in my defeat with Snape. I had provided a perfectly logical statement, and Snape dismissed it without batting an eyelash. All he said was, "Five points from Hufflepuff. Any more back talk from you will result in detention," and the rest of the students had to finish their potions. However, Harry and Ron had thanked me afterwards and several people were impressed with the way I had talked back to Snape. I visited the Hospital Wing to see if Neville was alright, but he had left already, before I arrived.<p>

When I glanced down at my schedule, I nearly squeaked. There were the afternoon flying lessons for First Years. However, I noted sadly, they began on September 12. Unfortunately, the tryouts were next week, so I decided to find her anyway. Luckily, she was near the broom shed.

"Hello, Madam Hooch." I greeted her. She turned to look at me.

"Hello."

"I just wanted to talk about the Quidditch tryouts next week; will you permit me to try out?" I inquired, smiling brightly.

"We'll see. First years don't usually make the team." She said, looking over the brooms, and straightened the twigs of one.

Madam Hooch told me the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team was Heidi Macavoy and advised me to speak to her later today.

"She's probably practicing by herself on the Quidditch pitch." She informed me. "You can go check it out. Quidditch pitch's down that way." She directed me toward the pitch, and I strolled down to find a pitch almost the same as the one in my tent. The tall tower-like structures were decorated in House colors, and had seats at the top. I found a blurry, black blob zoomed about the space, flying after a tiny dot someone had thrown very far.

The pitch was surrounded by a wall, on which the bleachers sat, but there were several entrances. Two led into the actual pitch, while the others went to the seats. I went inside, and watched the moving blur high above catch the Snitch-sized balls, and then drop them back to the person throwing them. He didn't miss any of the next twenty throws, and after he dropped the last throw, he dove down and landed before he noticed me. He had taken off his school robes and was wearing the school slacks and button down shirt. I briefly wondered if the girl throwing balls was Heidi Macavoy.

"Oh, hi!" I heard him say as he jogged over. "You're the first year from yesterday, right?"

"Yea. I'm here because I'd like to try out for the Quidditch Team. I'm supposed to, uh, talk to Heidi Macavoy." I stated. He looked a little disbelieving for a second, but that passed, so as not to insult me. "I know first-years never make the team, and I'm not a perfect player, but I really do like playing Quidditch. There's a spot open for a Chaser, right? That's where I play best." I babbled, speaking quickly as I got to the end. Cedric chuckled a bit.

"All right. Heidi's not here, but I can see. Would you mind showing me how you'd do as a Chaser?" He asked.

"Yes, but first years aren't exactly allowed to own a broom." I replied. Cedric made an 'oh' face and held out his.

"I'm using a school broom, so borrow this." I nodded and took it in my hands. "Hey Tamsin!" Cedric called the person who had been throwing the small balls up. The fifth year girl jogged over, stuffing one of the balls into a bag she had on her shoulder. Her other hand held a broom.

"What's up?" She asked.

"He wants to try out for the team!" Cedric replied, patting my back.

"He?" Tamsin looked at me. "Don't you mean she?" Cedric looked confused.

"No, I meant he."

"How about we say I'm an it?" I chimed in. Cedric and Tamsin laughed.

"All right, can you tell us your name?" Tamsin inquired.

"You can call me J." I decided, remaining gender-less.

"Okay then. J, I've got my broom and I'm also a Chaser, so we'll practice passing back and forth through the length of the arena." Tamsin pointed down to the other side of the pitch. "It's a common technique, but deadly useful." Tamsin explained, dropping the bag and mounting her broom. "Cedric, throw up the Quaffle!" Tamsin yelled down to him after we'd risen twenty feet, next to each other at one end of the field. Cedric picked up a large, reddish ball from a chest, and tossed it up to Tamsin.

"Just so you know Tamsin, I haven't had anyone to practice so I'm a little iffy on passing to each other!" I shouted to her.

"It's okay!" She yelled back. "We'll practice a bit here first. It's normal to get nervous!" She reassured me. "I'm throwing the Quaffle… now!" She shot off on her broom after tossing me the Quaffle. I caught it after nearly dropping it, and slightly embarrassed, I caught up with her; my hands slipping as I tossed it. The Quaffle only flew half the distance, and it then dropped very slowly down. Quaffles were enchanted to do that, so that Chasers didn't have to dive down much. Tamsin flew out of line and scooped it up, and then chucked it at me.

More determined to succeed, I made a better grab for the ball and I curled my arm around it. The ball was nestled securely into the nest of my arm.

"Nice catch!" Tamsin yelled, as I uncurled my arm, and single-handedly hurled it at Tamsin with all the force I could muster. The ball flew over Tamsin's head, and I ducked my own head in embarrassment, and the other chaser swerved away and took hold of the Quaffle. "Not bad, but you've got to learn to control your throws." Tamsin said as we stopped at the end of the pitch. "You also need to learn to use your left arm. The ball isn't always going to be on your right." I nodded.

"Okay."

"You're a fairly good flyer, though, so there's nothing to work on for that. Just your catching and throwing you need to improve on. I've got the afternoon until dinner, so we can practice. If no one else is going to try out for Chaser, the spot's yours." Tamsin informed me. My heart gave jump, and I immediately hoped that no one else would try out.

"Thank you." I began. "Really, thanks for taking the time to help me, and everything." Tamsin blinked, and she smiled.

"No problem." And with that, we were off, passing the Quaffle back and forth. It was really difficult, since one hand always needed to be on the broom to keep steady. The standard way to hold the Quaffle was to curl your arm around, and you were supposed to throw it with the arm. So, uncurling the arm to throw it is a little difficult, but since the Quaffle has a charm to make it stickier, it's a tad easier. It won't slip from your hand that easily.

I practiced with Tamsin for at least an hour, and Cedric had played Keeper as I tried to score goals. I was happy with my progress, and Tamsin called it a day.

"You've got real potential, J. You'll be a great Chaser." Tamsin patted my back as we stopped for the day. I returned the broom to Cedric, and now that I was no longer zooming around on the ground, I took a better look at Tamsin. She was several inches taller than I, and she had blond hair similar to Malfoy's. She had plaited it into one thick braid, and she had round hazel eyes that were very much unlike Malfoy's. I decided I liked Tamsin, a lot more than my own, same-year classmates.

I walked back to the castle with the two, my gender remaining unknown to them, to my great amusement, and Tamsin offered to practice with me again, bringing along the rest of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team if they were free. To this, I thanked her many times, and we went to the Great Hall for dinner. Cedric allowed me to sit with him and the rest of the Quidditch team. I sat next to Tamsin and another black-haired, pony-tailed Asian girl. She looked to be in her sixth year.

"Heidie Macavoy." She introduced herself. "I'm the other Chaser." She said, a bit competitively. Not to be competitive to me in Chaser skill, but just competitive in general. If I got into the team, it would be an all-girl group of Chasers. Of course, they wouldn't know that.

"Call me J." I replied. It had been becoming a nickname I was fond of, and had asked the other Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors to call me that. On the other side of the table were three boys and another girl, Cedric among them. The girl introduced herself first.

"I'm Maxine. I go by Max, and I'm one of the Beaters on the team. I'm in my fourth year." Max had a pointed face and dark brown hair that went down her back, and was strategically braided to keep it from waving in her face. The boy next to Cedric went next.

"Name's Anthony Rickett. I'm the other Beater." The boy was in his second year and was built tough. He had curly auburn hair and a round face, as well as a playful personality. Lastly was a boy with light brown hair cut short enough to be called a buzz cut. He was thin, but abnormally tall. I would have thought he was a seventh year had he not said he was just in his second.

"I'm Herbert Fleet. Height runs in my family." He shrugged. He seemed like a smart, practical student. I'd found myself to being enjoying the company of the Quidditch team far more than the other Hufflepuffs, and they seemed to like me just as much. When we'd finished dinner, the other players promised to help me tomorrow, as no one else had asked to try out as a Chaser, and it was decided to be definite I would be a Chaser. That had made me seven times happier, and it was hard for me to concentrate on reading passages in my school books when I'd gotten to my common room.

However, I was soon interrupted when someone tapped my shoulder.

It was Zacharias Smith.

"How come you were sitting with the Quidditch team?" He asked, looking… jealous? Upset?

"Why not?" I responded, leafing through the pages.

"They're the _Quidditch team._" He sounded exasperated.

"They're students, and they're nice people." I shrugged.

"They must have some reason to be hanging out with a first year." Zacharias ran a hand through his hair.

"Most people do indeed have reasons for doing things, yes." Zach gave me a disgruntled look.

"Tell me why, then."

"If you really feel the need to find out about every little thing I do, they're helping me be a good Chaser." I explained, and then regretted it immediately.

"Chaser? First years aren't allowed on the Quidditch teams." Zacharias was now puzzled.

"No, they only rarely make the teams." I went on, wishing I'd just left to the dormitory.

"I can try out for the team?"


	8. In Which Malfoy is a Dickwad

**I haven't updated in a while because I'm rewriting a lot of parts but I've decided I will upload all I have written, the old 2012 unedited parts and as I rewrite I will update it after**

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><p>"Zacharias Smith wants to try out for Chaser, too." Heidi Macavoy informed me at breakfast.<p>

"Yes, I know. I've got competition, now." I replied glumly. The actual prospect of trying out didn't bother me, it was the fact that I could have had a free ticket to the team, and then lost it. It was also the fact that now, I might not even be on the team. On the other end of the table, I could see Zacharias talking animatedly, and it was clear he was talking about the Quidditch tryouts.

"You're a good Chaser, J. Don't be so down." Cedric chimed in, and I smiled.

"Thanks."

"I know we shouldn't show favoritism with this kind of thing, but I kind of like you better than that guy." Anthony pointed at Zacharias with his thumb, and the praise made me feel better, though I felt a bit guilty about it.

Later today I had my first experience of History of Magic, which was spectacularly similar to Social Studies back in my previous school, despite this being the history of magic, and not of the muggles. One weird thing was that the teacher was a ghost. Harry had mentioned that Professor had one day just gotten up and left his body behind.

I nearly resorted back to my habit of just drawing all over everything, but I told myself this would be an easy class to pass, as it was just memorizing information and then spewing it out on paper later.

I had Herbology again, and we learned about the Devil's Snare. We even learned a small spell, just for warding off Devil's Snare if we ever encountered it. It gave our wands a small light at the tip. This spell was _Lumos._ It was a better replacement for the flashlight.

"You'll be going over that in Charms, as well." Professor Sprout informed us as we made the plant back up into its glass cage. As a little bonus, she told us the counter spell, which was _Nox_. At the end of Herbology, I went up to the professor.

"Professor Sprout, I was just wondering, if I make the Quidditch team, will I be able to own a broom?" I asked as the students emptied out of the greenhouse.

"Yes, of course. All Quidditch players have the right to own a broom, first year or not." Professor Sprout reassured me.

At the Gryffindor table, I made small talk about classes, but I saw Cedric Diggory gesturing for me out of the corner of my eye.

"Got to go for now, see you later!" I waved to the four Gryffindors, and left to the Hufflepuff table. I took my place, sitting next to Maxine and Herbert. Heidi looked a little regretful.

"Now that someone else is trying out, it would be unfair of us to keep training you, unless we help him, too." She said apologetically.

"Yes, I know…" I rested my head on my hand and picked awkwardly at the small pieces of steak on the side of my place. "I'll practice myself, but I'll still need a broom."

"Madam Hooch and Professor Sprout will be fine with that. If you're going to try out for Quidditch, there's no problem. You can just use a school broom." Herbert spooned up some mashed potatoes. "Ask Madam Hooch for one this afternoon."

I survived through a second time of Double Potions and DADA and when afternoon came around, Madam Hooch granted me permission to borrow a school broom whenever needed.

The rest of the week passed quickly, and I'd gotten very good a time management. My homework was started right after classes ended, and usually was finished before dinner. After that, I would crawl into my tent with the inferior school broom while the three other girls hung out in the common room or wherever they were, and practiced scoring while flying at the maximum speed.

On the first weekend I'd had at Hogwarts, I didn't know what else to do except practice for the tryouts. I surprised myself with just how much I wanted to be a Chaser. I'd written to Dad and Mum several times, and Brune was a wonderful messenger and comfort. Eventually, through staying in my tent for several hours, I'd gotten immensely tired of flying, and I left, wondering what to do. I'd had nearly a full day ahead of me, and I had nothing else to do. All my schoolwork had been finished, and I was bored.

Through five moments of thinking, I thought of Hagrid, and wondered if he could do with a visit. It would also be good to familiarize myself with other parts of the castle, so I pocketed my map and traipsed through the castle grounds and found a hut. It looked ultimately cozy, with dried herbs hanging off the side and a massive pumpkin patch growing on the side. Smoke curled up in friendly wisps from a chimney. The one non-comforting detail was that the hut was right next to the Forbidden Forest, which looked dark and foggy in contrast to the bright sun shining down Hagrid's Hut. I knocked on the door, but no one entered. I glanced in the window to find the hut empty, I became disappointed.

I passed the rest of day familiarizing myself with the castle, and went to sleep with a brain full of areas of Hogwarts I had memorized. IT was a beautiful castle, and it still awed me whenever I went into the staircase room.

The Hufflepuff Quidditch tryouts were on Monday, after school, which was daringly close. The actual flying lessons for first years were about three days after that.

I decided to spend some of Sunday with Hermione, and for relaxing hour we pored over books in the library. I'd found a thick book that mainly told stories and legends of how some spells came to be. I coupled it with my _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_ to get the best out of it. Despite then being informative, learning books, they interested me anyway. Hermione found _Quidditch Through the Ages _and learned several tips.

By the end of that hour, it was breakfast time, and my mind was swimming with the three new spells I'd remembered the most. _Accio, _a charm to summon items. Alohomora, which was used to unlock doors and such. Lastly was _Episkey_, a small spell to heal small injuries. The three would probably come in handy, anyway. I scribbled them down along with short descriptions of their effect on the back of my schedule, as I would carry that with me everywhere. Breakfast came and went, and I was now regularly sitting with the Quidditch team. However, after breakfast, I got a bit nervous about the next day.

I still wasn't very good at catching and throwing, and had no one to practice with. I knew the only other person with whom I could practice was Zacharias Smith, but I didn't know if he would. In the few hours between the meals, I found Zach in the common room.

"Um, listen, uh Zach." I began, my fingers playing inside my pockets. "I really need to practice for the Quidditch tryouts, and I can't practice with the team. Would you like to practice with me?" Zach sat there, dumbfounded.

"You want to practice with your enemy? I mean, not enemy, but we're going for the same spot…" Zach trailed off.

"It'll benefit the both of us, won't it? I have no one to practice with, and neither do you." I continued on, coaxing him. "The only thing that can come out of this is both of us having a better chance, so there's no reason to not practice with each other." Zach made a face, and he took two minutes think.

"All right." He reluctantly answered, standing. "The tryouts are tomorrow, and we only have today."

"I don't know if the pitch is open." I began. "We can check it out, now if you can." Zacharias stood up, nodding. He had a slouch to his standing position, and in the awkward silence that followed, we made it to the empty pitch. "Did Madam Hooch give you permission as well to borrow a school broom?"

"Uh, yea." He replied, scratching his head, and we headed towards the school broom shed. They were all the same, Shooting Stars. They'd been cheap and easy to amass, so it was understandable. The actual Quidditch team broom sheds probably held some Cleansweeps and Nimbuses. Dad had educated me on the most common broomsticks.

Zach and I each took hold of one, and there was chest of spare balls, each about the size and weight of a Quaffle. I picked one up, and Zach and I silently mounted our brooms.

"Should we just practice passing back and forth?" I looked to Zacharias, both of us still on the ground. He nodded, and we took off, going the lengths of the field and tossing the ball back and forth. Zacharias was an okay flyer, however, I could tell he was doing his best to outshine me. I shrugged it off, but discovered that he was very rusty with catching. He was fine with throwing, just the catching with one hand.

However, after half an hour, he finally, grudgingly accepted my tips, but declined when I directly asked if he wanted help. Lunch came around soon, and by the end of our practice, Zacharias was able to catch a lot more easily, and he seemed to be more relaxed. I sat next to Cedric, and he gave me a smile.

"Saw you practicing with Smith. You're a real nice person." He commented as the plates filled up with their delicious food. I turned red. "I still don't know if you're a girl or a boy." The Seeker added.

"I'm positive she's a girl." Tamsin chimed in from Cedric's other side, and the other members of the Quidditch team added their opinions.

"Maybe I'll tell, if and maybe when I get onto the team." I jokingly decided. See, the reason it was so difficult to tell my gender is that not only do I look androgynous, I sound androgynous, too. My voice is boyish, but has a feminine touch to it. My eyes traveled around the room as I sipped pumpkin juice, and I found Zacharias's eyes. He was looking enviously at the people surrounding me, and I moved a bit to conceal myself behind Cedric's figure.

After lunch, I no longer felt the need to keep practicing, and I was wandering the courtyards when I found Neville. Neville and Malfoy surrounded by a circle of people, to be exact. There was a loud noise, and I saw a group of people with green badges on their robes laughing. I pushed through the crowd and found Neville cowering before the blond Slytherin.

"You're too stupid to know not to push me, aren't you?" Malfoy taunted.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Neville whimpered as Malfoy shoved his shoulder. The Gryffindor stumbled and fell on his behind. Some other students chuckled as he gave a pained expression.

"Do you really have nothing better to do then make fun of others?" I heard my voice say as I stepped out between them. Everyone went silent. Malfoy looked taken aback, but he regained his composure.

"A Hufflepuff? What a pair, didn't know you fancied the coward." He crossed his arms, putting on a triumphant smile. The group of people behind him erupted into laughter. I raised my eyebrows.

"You're doing a spectacular job of avoiding the question." I turned to face the red-faced Gryffindor, and pulled him to his feet.

"Well, you're doing a spectacular job of snogging _Longbottom!" _Malfoy retorted. I shrugged, seeing how I was obviously not snogging the kid.

"You don't know the definition of snogging, do you?" I turned and faced Neville before he could say anything else. "He's not worth your time. Let's go." I glanced at Malfoy and found him seething. I waved nonchalantly, turned, and put a hand on Neville's shoulder to guide him out of the area. The crowd parted as we walked through, and we found a bench inside to sit on. I heard them suddenly start talking again after we left. Neville was still a blubbering, embarrassed mess as he thanked me profusely.

"It's okay, Neville. That kid doesn't deserve your time." I patted his shoulder. Neville spilled about how Malfoy was always bullying other kids, even though it'd only been one week. After he'd talked and let that out, the talk somehow went to classes, and he mentioned how Herbology was one of his better classes.

"Maybe we can be partners one class." I suggested, and he brightened. We sat and talked for a while. The conversation led to our families, and I learned about his crazy relatives that were constantly trying to get him to show magic. He learned about my Squib mother and Ollivander's assistant Dad, and that I'd lived like a Muggle before. Hermione passed us in the halls, and we ended up walking as trio about the castle together. And then, like this morning, we ended up in the library. Neville leafed through a book about plants while I returned to jotting down small, simple spells that would come in handy. I really wanted to actually practice them, but I knew we shouldn't really be doing spells out of class. However, I think the rule was for in the corridor, and I decided to practice the Accio, which shouldn't do any harm, inside my dorm room later.

Time ticked by and dinner arrived. I reluctantly said goodbye to the two Gryffindors and found my seat amongst the Quidditch players. I went over some spells I learned. _Tergeo_, to clean materials off a surface, like ink off paper. Salvio Hexia, a protection from hexes. Hermione had mentioned _Reparo_ to me, and fixed one of my broken quills. I learned _Protego_, and there were several other spells for jinxing or attacking someone I dared not practice._ Pack _was an easy one, to fill up a trunk with required items. _Aguamenti_ to shoot out water, and also, _Petrificus Totalus_, a spell that will bind a person in a soldier-like position for a short time. On the bottom of my schedule, I scribbled down _Incendio, Stupefy_, and _Expulso_, and folded that piece of the parchment up to hide it from view. Three spells for harming others, and I might as well as add Petrificus Totalus. Of course, I had no idea how to cast the spells and I didn't have anyone to practice on.

I didn't try them out, and only experimented with spells like _Reparo_ and _Accio_. I started with Accio, and it was still dinner. Under the table, it took me several minutes to get used to the whole 'swish and flick,' thing that was in the school book, and was surprised when a potato flew at me. The people around me looked up in surprise as my left hand reached up to catch.

"I'm just practicing spells…" I explained, mumbling.

"Goob job! It usually takes first years a lot longer." Cedric patted my back and smiled, and I turned quickly back to my plate. The other Quidditch players looked slightly impressed, too.

When dinner finished, I headed back to my dorm along with the other Hufflepuffs, and I had to go straight to my dormitory since it was bed time, and no one was allowed to be out of bed after hours. I usually was first, disappearing into my room before anyone of the Quidditch team could enter the common room. However, I didn't particularly notice when Cedric hung back behind me as the Hufflepuffs left to their rooms, when I put my hand on the doorknob of the girls' dormitories door.

"I guess you're a girl?" I heard his voice, and turned around, not expecting this turn of events.

"Uh… Maybe?" I shrugged. He laughed.

"Already knew. You're not in the first year boys' dorm room." He explained.

"Mhmm…" I trailed off. Duh. Of course he could just check that.

"Anyway, good luck on the tryouts tomorrow." Cedric gave me a reassuring smile, and I grinned back.


	9. And Now a Ghost is My Friend

Despite my calm demeanor in the morning, I felt myself getting jumpier and jumpier as the day dragged on. The classes passed quickly, and I acted like a drone in them, completing the work without a thought to them, while inside my mind, I panicked. What if Smith got Chaser? What if I didn't get the spot? What if a random Bludger picked itself out of the Quidditch ball chest and whacked me in the head? I knew some of these were ludicrous imaginings, but I couldn't help but sweat in anxiety. My last class of Potions ended up with a green liquid that foamed at the top, while Meg, the girl with whom I'd shared the desk, created some viscous jelly-like formation that crawled around the floor. When Potions came to a close, I stiffly removed myself from my seat and nearly waddled away, all the worst conclusions of the tryouts playing through my brain.

There was enough time for me to drop all my stuff back at the dorm and then make my way to the pitch while wringing my hands. Too much time, since the third years are higher had extra classes. So, I didn't go to the pitch, and instead tried to write the short essay for History of Magic homework for the next hour. It came out a little sloppy, but I finished as the extra classes did too, and I left the common room to the pitch.

I didn't notice when I got to the pitch until someone clapped my back, effectively bringing me back to life. I had to look up to see the face of the tall person in front of me. Herbert was giving me an intense look.

"Good luck." The gangly boy dropped a folded Chaser uniform in my hands, and was pushing me inside the changing tent a second later. I passed Zacharias, who was fully clothed in canary yellow Quidditch robes. I gave him a quick nod, and once the tent was empty, I stripped at lightning speed, and dressed at the same pace. One minute later I was clad in yellow.

"Calm down, J." I whispered to myself. I took several deep breaths, effectively making me less jumpy and nervous, though I was still very anxious. I strapped the arm guards around my forearms and the shin guards on top of my boots. I pinched my arm, the pain startling the anxiety out of me. I clapped my face. "You got this."

Half a moment later, I stepped out of the tent to be offered a broom by Cedric. He gave a reassuring smile and Tamsin clapped a hand on my shoulder. The five players of the team stood behind Heidi. Heidi, the team captain held her broom upright next to her, the butt of it on the ground. I scurried to stand in front of her, next to Zacharias.

"All right. Listen up. You two are trying out for the open Chaser spot, correct?" Heidi's voice was loud, but she needn't be, since there were just two of us. Zach and I confirmed that and she went on. "To start with, you will be paired up with another Chaser, and that will be your team for the tryouts. Tamsin, you're with J. Zach, I'm your partner. Cedric and Herbert are going to be Keepers. Cedric, you're Zach's Keeper, Herbert, your J's Keeper." Heidi commanded. Tamsin stepped next to me. The two Keepers flew up to their respective areas. Heidi continued talking. "We're going to be playing a small game with no Beaters. We're going to test your scoring, catching and throwing." The captain informed us, before mounting her broom and flying up in front of Cedric. It took Zach a moment to realize he was supposed to follow her.

"Let's go." Tamsin poked my arm and flew up, in front of Herbert. I copied her and aligned my broom. The moment I had taken off, I felt my nervousness leave me. I glanced down to find Maxine and Anthony watching, and even that didn't bother me. I took in a deep breath, sucking in the outside air and felt rejuvenated. We formed a sort of square, the four of us. Maxine put her wand to throat momentarily.

"Begin!" She yelled, her voice magnified by the wand, and she threw up the Quaffle. I shot forward and swiped for it. I felt my fingers brush the Quaffle before Zacharias Smith had it tucked safely in his arm. Heidi and he flew parallel toward Herbert, and Zach made a toss to Heidi. Adrenaline rushed through my veins and I swooped between them, intercepting it and flying twenty or feet. I found myself five feet below Tamsin, and I threw it upwards. Tamsin made I grin I could see for half a second before the Quaffle was in her left hand. The talented Chaser zoomed up, tossing it back to me. I nearly dropped it, since I didn't expect the throw, but could see I was approaching the goal hoops. With a prayer, I winded my arm up and hurled it forward.

The Quaffle flew at the center hoop, sailing through the air. Cedric's foot jutted out to kick it away, but he was too slow. A gigantic smile spread on my face as the temporary Keeper retrieved the Quaffle from behind the hoops. With renewed happiness and confidence, I breezed through the rest of the tryouts. Since this game was for testing Zach and me, Heidi and Tamsin never made an attempt to score. Whenever they got their hands on the ball, they passed to us. As time passed, people gathered in the seats. Many were just spectating, but the other tryouts were going to take place after the Hufflepuff one. The onlookers didn't disturb me.

Cedric was a fairly good Keeper, and blocked many throws, but most of mine made it in. Zach had dropped two of the passes from Heidi, but he had made several good scores. At last, the time came when Maxine declared the game to be over. The wind had made my hair slightly wild and my cheeks pink. I descended; leaping off my broom to be followed my Tamsin. Cedric and Herbert dismounted, and joined us. Once everyone was in the small crowd we'd made. Heidi smiled briskly.

"You two have put up quite a challenge." She began. "However, one of you demonstrated superb talent at flying, as well as at scoring." Heidi turned to me. "I'm very glad to welcome J to the team." There was a moment as I digested what had just happened, and I was filled with the urge to jump up and down when I saw Zach's face. He was looking obviously upset. I extended a hand to him, and he looked up confused, before taking it. I shook his hand.

"Good game." I grinned. "You're a good Chaser." I told him, truthfully. He _was_. Zach nodded, giving a weak smile before heading quietly to the changing tent. The rest of the Quidditch team surrounded me. I watched his retreating figure for a few seconds before returning to the team.

"Welcome to the team, J!" A small celebration was held in my honor, and after we changed into our regular clothes, we headed back to the common room. Anthony Rickett brought out a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean. It reminded me of the small handful I'd got in the Hogwarts Express. I'd never eaten them… and they were still in the pocket of the pants I'd worn then. The seven of us sat at the biggest table in the room and enjoyed the candies. I also admitted my gender. Apparently, Heidi and Cedric were the only ones who'd already known. Tamsin bragged about being right, and Herbert took note of it calmly, while Anthony thought he was sure I'd been a boy. Maxine clapped me on the back and welcomed me to the girl's side of Quidditch.

I tried out five beans, getting a nice coffee flavored one, and then a bacon bean. The last three resulted in banana, bread, and then a completely revolting vomit-flavored one. That ended my eagerness to try the beans, and Heidi split a big chocolate bar to share. Herbert suggested we do our homework together, despite most of us not being in the same year and also not having the same homework. Anthony could have worked with Herbert, but the Keeper was already efficiently doing his homework. After the History of Magic essay, I only needed to read up on some Potions ingredients and the effects it might give when you mix them together.

I would have gotten frustrated with how messy quills and ink got, but with the _Tergeo_ spell, I could easily erase small mistakes. I'd mastered it last night, practicing on a small piece of parchment. Nevertheless, I did my best to write as neatly as possible. Before, writing neatly had never been a concern of mine, but here, it became a big necessity. Professor Snape could take off House points easily for a bad paper. I had refined my print and the quill made it look fancier. Taking my very first notes had almost been exciting, when I dipped the feather in the black ink. While getting a thick line had been hard, I only needed to tilt the quill properly before I had achieved a satisfactory stroke. The only other annoying part was how often I needed to dip the quill back in the ink.

Half an hour later, I had jotted down five paragraphs about ingredients, one paragraph each, and had deemed it finished. First years usually had less homework, so I finished before the others. Five minutes had passed and Herbert had finished, followed by Anthony. We made small talk until the others finished. It was dinner time by then, and we walked together to the Great Hall. While we usually sat together, sometimes, some of us went to their own close group of friends. Like Maxine, she sometimes sat with two other fourth years. However, it turned out that the Quidditch team was our close group of friends. Herbert, Heidi, Tamsin and I all preferred the company of our fellow Quidditch players, but Anthony and Cedric usually also had their own friends, as well.

The next few days passed peacefully, and I successfully fitted Quidditch practice into my schedule. It was Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday we would practice, early in the morning for one hour, and from 5 to lunch in the afternoon. Sometimes, if there wasn't anything to do and the pitch was open, we'd practice on the weekends.

There was one day, September twelfth, when something new sprang up. I was on the second floor, looking for the bathroom. I had found one, but it said that it was 'Out of Order.' I was turning around to find another when I heard sobbing. I pressed my ear to the door and found an uneven voice, hiccupping and crying. As softly as possible, I twisted the doorknob and pushed it open. To my surprise, I found no one. The noise was coming from above. I looked up, and found the pearly white, see-through figure of a young girl. She was curled up in a ball up on the round sill of the circular window. A ghost? That young?

The sound of the door shutting was loud enough for her to notice, and she glared at me.

"This is a _girls_' bathroom!" She snapped suspiciously, rising from her seat. From her height and look, she seemed to have been a third year.

"I know." I replied politely. "I'm a girl." There was a second's pause, before she understood, and she started laughing.

"A girl?" She said between giggles. "Everyone must've made fun of you!" I nodded.

"Yes, yes they did." I continued. She suddenly shot me a venomous look.

"Come here to laugh at me, didn't you?" She spat.

"No… why would I do that?"

"Everyone comes here to laugh at poor, ugly Myrtle!" The ghost shot back, descending from her seat and coming closer to me. Her eyebrows were slanted down angrily, and her eyes were narrowed.

"Myrtle? Is that your name?" I inquired.

"Yes! A stupid name, isn't it!?" She wailed, and I shook my head rapidly.

"No, of course not." I told her. "It's a really pretty name." I told her, my voice full of earnest. I was being completely truthful; the name Myrtle made me think of a still pond surrounded by willow trees. It also gave me thought of an ocean. The girl gave me a look of complete incredulity.

"R-really?" She looked closely at my face.

"Yes."

That was the start of my friendship with Moaning Myrtle.


	10. For Some Reason, I'm a Quidditch Wizard

We'd really connected. People always used to make fun of me before hand, and I had at first been horrible at handling it. But my mum had taught to let it not bother me. Bullies no longer affected me, and taunts made me laugh. I spent only ten minutes there, and by the end, Myrtle was noticeably happier, and I promised to visit often. She wasn't really so bad, and when she wasn't upset, she even had a sense of humor.

By the time I left, there were barely five minutes to get to Potions, and I pretty much ran across the school and entered with just two minutes to spare.

Since I was last to arrive, Professor Snape gave me a glare, which wasn't really much different from his usual face, and I apologized under my breath. I took my place next to Terry and Meg and proceeded to flip open the school book to find the recipe of today's potion.

It was after Potions did Hermione remind me that we had flying lessons. There were twenty minutes before that, so I ran ahead of everyone at the door, right after Snape dismissed us. I dashed up two floors, finding myself in the corridor with the kitchen. I quickly tapped the barrel I needed to, climbed in and dropped off everything (except for my map) in my room, then turned right around, barreling through anyone in my towards the outside. We didn't learn in the Quidditch pitch, but there was a space on the right side of the castle, showing a flat stretch of grass to practice. I was early, but as time passed, all of the first years, roughly thirty, I think, made it. Madam Hooch arrived, her hair still spiky and bright.

Several broomsticks were lined up neatly in two rows, facing each other.

"Well, what are you all waiting for? Everyone stand by a broomstick. Come on, hurry up!" She bellowed, and I quickly moved away from her and picked one at the end of the line. All of the brooms were the same type, with untidy twigs sticking out in the back. "Stick your right hand over your broom." She called, and I did, thinking back to the first time I'd ridden a broom.

"Say 'Up!'" She cried.

"UP!" everyone shouted, though I did my deep breath to calm my jumping nerves. I wanted to fly again.

"Up." I uttered, and my broom leapt up into my hand. I looked around; finding two others that already got their broom. Harry and Malfoy were clutching their brooms confidently. Hermione was looked frustrated at her broom, repeating, "Up!" As a minute passed, the majority of the students had finally gotten their broom. I glanced as I heard Ron say, "Up," and his broom leapt up and whacked him in the face.

When everyone had finally gotten their broom, Madam Hooch showed us how to mount our brooms. I watched as she corrected the grips, and criticized Malfoy. When she did that, I saw Harry and Ron grin.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly." Madam Hooch instructed. "On my whistle – three – two –"

The whistle never came. I watched as Neville kick off before she counted down to one, and he was shooting up. I could tell he was deathly afraid, and I found myself rising to catch him.

"Mr. Longbottom! Ms. Ling!" Madam Hooch cried as Neville's broom suddenly started jerking about randomly. I reached his height as his broom started bucking about.

"Neville, grab my hand!" I called over the wind. Neville's face was completely white, his grip making his knuckles the same shade. Suddenly, he zoomed off, unable to control his broom, flying under an arch. The twig end of his broom bounced off a wall, and I followed him, keeping my hand outstretched towards his figure. Suddenly, he was flying over a statue holding a pointy sword above his head, and it caught his school robe, the broom flying past him as he fell, held up only by his rapidly ripping cloak. I dropped below him, trying to grab his flailing arms when his robe ripped and he fell again, his robe catching once more on the metal of a torch. He was about twenty feet off the ground and I snatched his hand, trying to rise so as to remove his robe from the torch. However, carrying a person single handedly like this was a very difficult task. The robe ripped, and I felt the sudden weight making me flip over my broom, and ripping Neville's hand from mine.

"Neville!" I yelled in the half second it took for him to hit the ground with a sickening crack. I felt my own grip slipping, and I saw the entire class staring at me, waiting for me fall and snap a leg or something. Madam Hooch helped Neville up, and watched me. She looked like she was about to pick up a broom herself, but I reached up and grabbed it with my other sweaty hand, and from there it was very difficult. You're hanging from a broom in midair with nothing for support but the broom, which doesn't even stay put. I switched my grip around so the inside of my arms faced me.

Now, I was a fairly strong eleven-year-old. My mom and I lifted weights together at the gym. So, here, I did a pull up, pulling my chin up and above the broomstick, and wedged it under my arms. Finally, I swung my leg up and resumed my regular flying position, a slight ache staying in my arms. I tilted my broom downward for a safe landing, nearly falling off as I did on the dirty grass. Many people crowded around me. I wasn't a perfect player, but when Madam Hooch confirmed my safety, she turned to the class. Neville whimpered, nursing his arm.

"None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear." She walked off with Neville after giving me a pointed look. The Hufflepuffs patted me on the back, as did some Gryffindors.

"Did you see his face, the great lump?" I heard a voice, and turned to see Malfoy laughing. My eyes narrowed and I stepped forward to say something, but Parvati beat me to it.

"Shut up, Malfoy." She snapped.

"Oo, sticking up for Longbottom?" I turned to see who else had spoken. Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin. "Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati." She added, crossing her arms. I raised my eyebrows.

"Look!" Malfoy cried, bending to grab something out of the blades of grass. "It's that stupid thing Longbottom's gran sent him." He held up a glass sphere.

"Give that here, Malfoy." Harry's voice quietly cut in, silencing all other conversation. I stared at him, a smile creeping up on my lips.

"I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find – how about – up a tree?" Malfoy snorted.

"Give it _here_!" Harry shouted, three times louder than when he'd first said it. The blonde boy jumped onto his broom, soaring up high. He was a talented flyer, yes. "Come and get it, Potter!" Harry instantly grabbed his broom, and Hermione stalked over.

"No! Madam Hooch told us not to move – you'll get us all in trouble! And besides, you've never even flown before!" Hermione hissed, but Harry ignored her, kicking off. I watched his facial expression, and it was the same as when I had first flown. Flying came easily to him, and his friends whooped and cheered. Harry maneuvered the broom to Malfoy, who was obviously surprised.

"Give it here! Or I'll knock you off your broom!" Harry threatened.

"Oh yeah?" Malfoy sneered, waving the glass ball tauntingly. Harry shot forward, and Malfoy barely dodged it.

"No Crabbe and Goyle up here to save your neck, Malfoy," I heard Harry call.

"Have it your way then!" I watched Malfoy wind up his arm, and then he chucked the thing far, far off. I watched, impressed as Harry shot like a bullet, diving down steeply after the glass ball. Suddenly he spun around his broom, and then the sphere was in his hand as he rolled off his broom onto the ground. He held the thing up triumphantly as the entire class cheered and ran to his side. I grinned.

"HARRY POTTER!" The sharp, shrill voice of Professor McGongall echoed loudly, cutting through the chatter. I jolted as she pushed through the crowd.

"_Never_ – in all my time at Hogwarts –how _dare_ you – might have broken your neck!" I stumbled back as she hissed unintelligibly at Harry. She ignored the other people's protests, and she demanded for Harry to follow her. She stormed away into the school, Harry looking miserable as he trailed behind. My own face had fallen; what if he got expelled? Malfoy and his friends looked cheerful at what had just happened, and I felt utter dislike for them. Ten minutes later, Madam Hooch returned, looking stern.

She walked back, controlling her angry steps.

"All right, we're going to hop again." She said, and five minutes later, I'd hopped up five feet, hovered for five seconds, and dropped back down. Hermione was very rusty with a broomstick, and Ron did okay. Justin was also a little rusty, and I didn't take much more notice to anyone else.

After the class, Madam Hooch congratulated me on being a Chaser for Hufflepuff, to which everyone looked at me in surprise. Of course, Smith probably didn't spread it in embarrassment, and no one on the Quidditch team decided to tell anyone. They weren't competitive enough to brag about having a first year on the team.

A sudden murmur ran through the first years as all eyes landed on me. Madam Hooch left, and they all surrounded me at once.

"You're the new Hufflepuff Chaser?"

"You're on the team?"

"blah blah blah?"

"ad;slfkjs;dlfkja?"

I nodded, answering, "Yes," about seventeen times before I escaped, hiding in Myrtle's bathroom. Apparently, she wasn't there, perhaps she was somewhere else in the castle, but I sighed and left. As I made my way back to the common room, I wondered about Harry and what had happened to him. There was probably no way to find him in the gigantic castle, so I settled with doing my homework. The next day I passed the caretaker, Mr. Filch. I usually never see him, but I bid him a good morning, to which he stared oddly at me, and I went to the Great Hall. It was then Herbert sat with me, since no one had else had arrived.

"I want a nickname." He prompted. That took me off guard for a second.

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't like my name." Herbert explained. "I want a nickname like yours. A short one."

"Um, okay."

"Do you have any suggestions?" The second year inquired.

"Hmm… no…" I trailed off, thinking. "My owl's name is Brunetus, if that helps." Herbert paused for a moment. "I usually call him Brune."

"You know, I like the name 'Rune.'" Herbert commented. I pictured the gangly boy, and matched it with Rune.

"I think it fits rather well." I agreed.

It wasn't long before Herbert informed the entire table, telling them to call him, 'Rune.' When the rest of the team arrived, the Keeper made sure they knew, too.

It was when the entire school had seated themselves at the table that several owls holding a very long and thing parcel flew in from the windows at the roof. Most people stopped to watch it, and it dropped right in front of Harry Potter, who was miraculously not expelled.

"It's a broomstick, you know." Rune commented. Yes, it was shaped a tad like one. My attention was distracted when another similar parcel was being flown in by the same number of owls.

I was more surprised when it dropped in on the edge of my plate, effectively catapulting two fried eggs and grape tomatoes in my face. There was a moment's pause before the Hall erupted into laughter. I picked the eggs between my thumb and forefinger off, and set the grape tomatoes on a napkin on the side. Heidi pointed her wand at me.

"_Tergeo._" She chanted, and I felt the salt and oil from the egg fade from my face.

"Thanks." I didn't feel too bad about the eggs, but an envelope landed neatly on top of the package. I folded the flap back and pulled out a parchment.

_Miss Ling_

_ Please open in your dorm, not in the Great Hall. I really don't want anyone being jealous or anything. This is your new Nimbus 2000, since you're on the Quidditch team, you need a broom. Good luck on your match in November against Ravenclaw!_

_Pomona Sprout_

I looked up to see the stout witch smiling at me, and Rune offered to come with me to unwrap the broom in the common room. The two of us strolled down the empty halls, passing the kitchens and finally crawled into the common room. The two of us unwrapped the broom and when I laid my eyes on it, I nearly cried in joy. It was beautiful, with a smooth, sleek handle. The end of the broom was neat, the thin, hair-like twigs all straight and ended in a point.

My hands ran the length of it, like I had with Dad's Nimbus 1700. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

"What broom does Cedric have?" I asked, a sad feeling mounting in my stomach.

"Cleansweep 7, why?"

"The Nimbus 2000 is faster, right?"

"Yes…" The boy confirmed it.

"I'll have to give Cedric this one, won't I? The Seeker needs the fastest broom." I could feel the frown etching itself into my face. Rune suddenly looked sympathetic.

"Oh…" His voice trailed off. I held the broom in my hands, looking at its beauty.

"I'll give it to him during practice." I mumbled, gathering the broom in my hands and dropping it off in my room. I wanted the broomstick so much. "Did Harry get a Nimbus 2000?" I asked.

"Probably, he became the Gryffindor Seeker. I heard McGongall was impressed with a catch he'd made in the first year flying lessons." That's what the Transfiguration professor had wanted…

"Oh." I said meekly.

At the next Quidditch practice, I brought along with me the beautiful Nimbus 2000, still dreading the moment I would have to give it up. I reached the pitch last. The sight of my broom made the entire team gasp. I walked over to Cedric, reluctantly holding out the racing broomstick. At first he refused.

"N-no. I can't. It's yours!" He shook his head, pushing the broom gently back to me.

"Cedric, you're the Seeker. You need the faster broom." Cedric's goodness made him protest even further, which made it harder. I knew this wouldn't reach him, so I held the broom with my left hand, and I used my right to grip the top of his shirt, using my force to effectively pull him down. He was momentarily surprised. "Take the broom, Cedric." I whispered menacingly, forcing it into his hand free. He dropped his Cleansweep 7 on the ground as I let go of him. He stumbled back, surprised at the force I displayed.

"Wow, you're strong." He muttered offhandedly as looked at the broomstick in his hands, suddenly ensnared by the beauty of it. "Nimbus… 2000."

"Yes, Nimbus 2000 is fastest broom. Seeker need fastest broom, okay?" I said exasperatedly, picking up the Cleansweep. It had a sleek handle, just like the Nimbus. The twigs in the back were far wilder than the Nimbus 2000, and I sighed sadly, already missing the straight, neat, hair-like branches that decorated my previous broom. However, after mounting the Cleansweep, I found it much, much better than the school brooms.


	11. Twins and Trolls

Much time passed as I delved into Hogwarts. I got used to the Cleansweep 7, did rather decently in my classes and got closer to Myrtle. She was far more cheerful, though the bathroom stayed out of order. It was expected, since some toilets were broken and the mirrors and such were dirty.

As I got through September and neared the end of October, Halloween approached. In fact, it was Halloween when we finally learned how to levitate objects in Charms class. He put us in pairs, and I found myself with Neville.

"Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" The Charms professor reminded us. I had gotten rather okay at casting spells, as the simple ones in the school book were only slightly difficult for me. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick!" And saying the magic words properly is very important, too – never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."

The spell was _Wingardium Leviosa_. I tried it several times, and the feather moved slightly, as if about to fly, but then collapsed. Neville couldn't do it, either. I was sure I was doing it correctly, and stopped to watch Hermione, who sat in front of me. Ron was waving his arms wildly when Hermione stopped to fix what he was doing.

"You're saying it wrong! It's Wing-_gar_-dium Levi-_o_-sa, make the '_gar_' nice and long." I noted how she stretched the '_gar_' and '_o_.'

"You do it then, if you're so clever." I watched Ron cross his arms. "Go on." I snorted, thinking of how Hermione would do it perfectly before his eyes. She rolled up her sleeves.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" She enunciated clearly as she flicked her wrist. I watched as the feather rose up slowly. Everyone's head turned to see.

"Oh, well done! Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!" I smiled as the professor drew attention to the intelligent girl, and copied the way she'd said the spell. Neville actually got his feather to jump into the air an inch, but then it fell. By the end of the class, I managed to make my white feather float up like Hermione had.

When we left class, I could hear Ron making malicious remarks about Hermione, but it was then time for lunch. The Halloween feast would be dinner, so I sat in the usual place. I ate quietly, and went through the day as per usual. For some reason, I didn't find Hermione in any of the other classes Hufflepuff had with Gryffindor. I had no idea where she was, and couldn't hope to find her.

It was right before the Halloween Feast when I had my first encounter with Peeves the Poltergeist. I was late while getting to the Great Hall, and I was taking an obscure shortcut I'd found on the map. There was a staircase I had never taken before, and I was about halfway down it when I felt my foot sink.

Sink through stone? I looked down to find my leg getting sucked into the step, and I nearly yelled in surprise. I briefly remembered Prefect Gabriel Truman warning me about 'trick steps,' around a month ago, before I realized my entire lower leg had been submerged in the very solid-looking rock step. I grasped my knee and yanked upward, trying to free it from the trick step.

"An ickle wittle firstie!" A voice cackle from behind me, and I twisted my upper body to see who had said that. It was a ghost, but it took me a moment to realize that. Unlike the other pearly white figures I'd grown accustomed to; this was a small, little man with beady eyes and an overly large mouth. He was clad in a colorful jester-like costume, which was actually more frightening than it was festive. He still was translucent, but he stuck out like a sore thumb among the other ghosts that haunted Hogwarts. The poltergeist smiled wickedly, and swooped quickly around me, picking up the dust at the edges of the staircase.

He cackled loudly as it gathered into a thick cloud around me.

"Peeves!" I shouted, coughing. The dust burned my eyes. I stumbled back, and ended up falling into a sitting position, with my right leg still stuck in the stone. My rear landed on the next, higher up step. Peeves vanished through the wall, his laughs echoing in my ear. It took an awfully long time for the dust to settle, and I thought longingly of the Great Hall. I hadn't even glimpsed the decorations or the feast yet, and it began a while ago. If I strained my ears, I could hear the students talking loudly. I placed my hands on the slab of stone I sat on, pushing as I tried to pull my leg out.

It was five minutes before I decided my efforts were fruitless, and I sat in defeat.

"Troll – in the dungeons!" The quiet was broken by a loud yell. I perked, listening intently. It sounded like Professor Quirrell. "Thought you ought to know." He added, before I heard the light sound of a 'thump.'

A troll?!

There was a second before the entire Great Hall erupted. It sounded like every student in the entire school had started screaming. The uproar was shushed by two loud explosions. I listened as closely as I could, and could make out the Headmaster's voice.

"Prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!" He bellowed. There was the sound of many footsteps, and I realized that the students were leaving the Great Hall.

Oh, god there was a troll? What if it came here when I was stuck? But Professor Quirrell had said that it was in the dungeons. I gulped, looking back and forth to make sure there wasn't a gigantic lumpy figure behind me. I'd seen a picture of one in a school book, and the information on their strength and aggressiveness had scared me. Therefore, when I saw the two red-headed twins turning the corner, I nearly leaped up in relief.

"Fred! George!" I called, and they, surprise registering on their faces for a second.

"Caught in the trick?" One of them began.

"Happened to me."

"Well we got him out-"

"Before it killed me."

The two laughed, before climbing up the steps. Each up them looped an arm around mine, and with a pop, they yanked me free of the step.

"Thank you." I smiled gratefully at them. "Aren't you supposed to be in the common room?"

"We take the shortcuts."

"We know the castle-"

"Better than anyone!"

My head whipped back and forth between them as they spoke.

"See you later!" They chimed, walking up the rest of the steps. I jumped past the trick step and began to find my way to the Hufflepuff commons. I was on the ground floor when I heard a shriek coming from down the hall. I looked to see the source, and found the door to the girl's bathroom. The scream was followed by the sound of splintering wood and shattering glass. I looked at the next staircase which would lead to my dormitory, and then down the hall, back at the girl's lavatory.

I sprinted down to the bathroom, my stomach churning at the thought of the troll.

The troll… was probably in there. A foul odor invaded my nose and scrunched it up in disgust.

What was I even doing? I reached the door, which lay on its hinges, and when I looked inside the room, I found it in shambles. Hermione crouched at the edge of the back wall, surrounded by broken bits of wood. A large, grey-skinned creature held a club menacingly, shaking its head rapidly. Harry was clinging to the troll's head, and his wand was stuck up one of the troll's nostrils. I was stuck between awe and fright as I fumbled for my wand. I plucked it out of the bottom of the bag when the troll swung the club in a great arc. I ducked just in time as my wand went spinning across the debris-littered floor. I awkwardly rolled forward, out of the way of the troll's legs.

There was barely a second before I noticed the thick, heavy weapon swinging in Hermione's direction. I leaped from my spot, pushing the girl out of the way as I felt the blunt club make contact with my side.

Ow.

The force made me flip over Hermione's head, and I landed in a crumpled heap on her other side. My glasses flew off my face in my flight. Jagged fragments of wood cut into my cheek as I heard Hermione scream. Breathing hurt, my vision was swimming, and-

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!" Ron bellowed. Ron? I didn't know Ron was here. I blinked several times, my entire side aching with the blow. I fumbled for my glasses but I couldn't find them. With my blurred sight, I could see the flaming red hair of the figure standing next to the doorway. I tilted my head a bit to see a long object floating over the troll. The club? Harry fell off the troll, scrambling out of the way as the club then dropped, clunking loudly on the creature's skull.

Oh hey, Ron defeated him!

The troll took several awkward steps forward, swaying, before it fell. The force made the entire floor vibrate.

"Is it dead?" Hermione sounded near tears as she crawled over to me.

"I don't think so. I think it's just been knocked out." Harry replied. There was a pause as Harry retrieved his wand.

"J, are you okay?" She whispered, her voice shaking.

"Well, I'm not dead." I mumbled. I heard Harry make a comment about troll boogers, and I couldn't help but laugh while I tried to sit up. Hermione smiled very weakly as she tried to find her wand in the mess, probably to use a healing spell. "Glasses, please?" I requested as my entire left side groaned in pain, and she took a second to find it in the rubble and place it on my face. The lenses of my glasses were scratched and dirty, and it had actually broken in half, but it made seeing a lot easier anyway.

"_Reparo_!" She whispered, having found her wand. "_Tergeo_!" I watched as my glasses, an inch from my face, repaired itself and was cleared of all the dirt and dust on them.

A sudden thunder of footsteps made me think of the troll falling on the ground again, and I looked up to find a few teachers at the doorway.

Professor Quirrell looked like he was about to faint, and he fell on the remains of a toilet, gasping. Professor Snape observed the troll, bending over it, and my entire face just dropped when I saw Professor McGongall. I had never seen a person look so angry in my life. Her mouth was stretched in a thin line and her eyes seemed to be actually burning with fury. She hadn't noticed me or Hermione though, and all of her anger was being drilled into Ron and Harry.

"What on earth were you thinking?" She spat. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?" I watched the pause take place as Harry looked down at the floor, suddenly interested in the pattern of the tiles there. Ron was like a statue, his wand still pointed at where the troll stood, but his head now staring incredulously at the Transfiguration professor.

"Please, Professor McGonagall – they were looking for me." Hermione said from our corner. She climbed to her feet, and she was no longer shaking or panicking. She was a great deal calmer.

"Miss Granger!" The shock in Professor McGongall's was obviously there, and she jerked a bit when she saw me, sitting awkwardly at the side. "Miss Ling!"

"I went looking for the troll because I – I thought I could deal with it on my own, you know," Hermione told McGongall.

I didn't even know if that was true.

"You know, because I'd read all about them." The star student explained. I watched Ron drop his wand on the floor, even though his arm kept being held out. "If Ron and Harry, and Jasmine hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Harry stuck its wand up its nose, Jasmine blocked me from a hit, and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone." Hermione went on. "It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Wow.

McGongall stared at each of us intently. I bit my lip.

"Well – in that case…" She began, her gaze landing on Hermione again. "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?" She scolded. Hermione let her head hang, as she too began to admire the lines between the bathroom floor tiles. "Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this. I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor Tower. Students are finishing the feast in their Houses."

I watched as Hermione left the room, dusting the splinters and dirt off her robes.

Professor McGongall turned to the three of us. I gulped a bit, deciding that I should stand. However, I didn't think I was exactly in the condition to stand. I remained sitting on the floor.

"Well, I still say you were luck, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win your House five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go." Harry and Ron glanced at me before leaving the chamber. "Miss Ling?"

"I think I need the Hospital Wing." I told her. Snape glanced at me and Quirrell actually did faint.

"Yes, yes, we'll get you there. You took a hit from a mountain troll?" She shook her head, looking disbelieving.

"Yes, I did. Thanks to the troll I was able to experience front-flipping in mid-air." I commented, trying to sound humorous about the whole situation. I sucked in a deep breath, but that hurt, so I just sat there, trying to breathe as lightly as possible. The professor shot me a sharp look, but not before I caught the tiny smile she had.


End file.
